Ib and Garry: After Story
by Forsaken T
Summary: After escaping the gallery Garry promised Ib that he would see her again. Just a few months later the two have a chance meeting at the local park. With the promise being fulfilled the two begin visiting each other weekly. What starts out as a friendship blossoms into something much deeper as the bond between the two grows. But can they keep their secret from the rest of the world?
1. Chapter 1 - The Reunion

Author's Note: This is my first fanfic that I have published. I plan on making it a series with a lot of chapters. Though it will start out very PG I do plan on having lemon content later in the story so it will be rated M to be safe.

Ib and Garry: Afterstory

Chapter 1: Reunion

It had been three months since Garry and Ib had escaped the gallery's horrors. Garry's promise to reunite with Ib happened sooner than he could have

expected. Ib had ran into him at the local park when she was out riding her bike one day. He had been sitting on the bench and reading a book about

some sort of famous murder case. Garry hadn't noticed her until she tugged on his sleeve. When he put his book down she smiled at him and he knew

immediately who it was. The two spoke to each other and laughed for almost an hour before Garry had told her that he had her handkerchief at his

home waiting for her. He had washed and dried it thoroughly and had it hanging up in his apartment. Garry had asked Ib if she wanted to come with

him and pick it up and she had said yes. Garry had a beaten up old truck parked at the edge of the park and the two got inside and drove to his home.

Ib had placed her bike in the back of the truck and he had sat her into the passengers seat of the truck. When they reached his home he had given her

the handkerchief right away. Afterward he had asked "Want me to cook you something? I am not very good but you look kinda hungry?" Ib nodded "My

mom is not very good either." Garry laughed at the girl's brutal honesty. "I am sure she tries her best" Ib just shrugged Garry's response off. Obviously

she didn't feel like it was worth further discussion. Garry had cooked up some eggs and was frying and scrambling them. As he did this Ib watched

affectionately. When he was done he put them on a white plastic plate and laid it out in front of her. Garry also put a bottle of ketchup next to her just

in case. As Ib ate she looked around "Do you live alone" Garry lightly nodded in response to her "Yup I moved out into my own place last year. I have a

job at the local thrift store and make enough to sustain myself. I got the job there since people bring in all sorts of cool art from time to time which I

always try to buy. I love art, I used to hang around the Guertena Gallery every weekend just admiring its artwork. That is until the gallery tried to kill

me." Ib and Garry had a good laugh about their past misfortune. Afterward Ib got out of her seat and touched Garry's hand. "I am glad you didn't die. I

was so scared when we got separated and when Mary..." Garry wrapped his coat around her as she said this. Placing his hand on her head he gave

her a caring smile. "No need to dwell on it Ib. We made it out of that horrible place alive and well. Let's just enjoy what we have because of all of the

crazy stuff that happened." Ib smiled at him "Yeah... It will probably just give me nightmares if I think about it too much. But what did we get from going

in there?'" Garry chuckled "I knew you would ask that. Well we got a few priceless things. We got to see what it is like to come within an inch of our

lives, which just makes us appreciate our lives more. We got to go on an adventure. Even if it was a scary one it still counts. And most importantly..."

Garry placed his hands on the frail girl's shoulders. "I made a great friend." Ib blushed at Garry's words but they meant a lot to her. "Th..thank you. I

am glad that is how you feel. I like you a lot as well... You make me happy..." Garry could tell that Ib was trying to express herself as boldly as she

could. Despite braving her way through the horrors of the gallery she still had the shyness of a normal girl. Garry could understand this and he himself

had to muster up the courage it took to let her know he cared very much. "Well Ib since we have made our friendship official how about we set up a

time of the week when we can hang out. I still have to take you to get some macaroons after all." Ib got an excited look on her face "That sounds fun.

Today is a good day, I usually go places on Saturdays." ''Works for me." Garry responded in an upbeat tone. Then Ib realized something."What

aboutmy parents? I trust you but my parents don't know you. How can I explain what happened and how we met?" Garry hadn't thought about it up

until this point but he knew Ib was right. "Yeah that is a very valid point. Not to make things awkward but I am an older guy and you are a young girl. I

don't know if your parents would trust me with you..." Ib grew very sad. Garry noticed how drastically her expression changed and he quickly continued

what he was saying. "I guess we will have to make the meetings we share our little secret then." Ib was both scared and excited by the idea. She did

not know how to respond to Garry at first but she eventually thought of what to say. "Okay then, I can keep a secret. I can just tell them I made a new

friend and I am visiting her house. I mean I am sort of telling the truth. Except I am calling you a girl... " Garry laughed at what Ib had said. "I don't

mind being a girl if it means that we can spend time together." Ib giggled at Garry's statement. Garry and Ib further discussed their Saturday meetings.

They agreed to meet up at the park at the same bench that they had ran into each other. The time they set up was ten thirty in the morning and both

agreed to be dedicated to arriving on time. Garry had an idea for the first special thing they could do. "Next weekend I should take you to a good

restaurant downtown that serves macaroons." Ib liked the idea and the two set it in stone. After they planned everything out for next time Garry

decided to take Ib home. "Wouldn't want you to get home after dark. Your parents don't know you are with a friend so it would probably worry them if

you are gone too long." Ib agreed with him "Yeah my parents worry a lot. But I hope we can spend a lot more time together once I tell them I am going

to a friend's house." Garry nodded and patted her on the head "Of course." After this Ib got in his truck and the two began to drive to her house. Ib

had to direct Garry as to where she lived and they made their way across town. On the way Garry asked if he could play some music and Ib told him

that he could. Garry put in a CD that had all sorts of music on it. The songs ranged from opera, to jazz, to indie folk, to contemporary rock. Ib decided to

question Garry on his music choice as the kept on driving. "Umm... you have a lot of different music,,," Garry could tell Ib was not put off by the variety

but was just curious about it. "Yeah I like all kinds of music. I like to keep things fresh by having all of the genres that I like on one mix CD. I am not

someone who can listen to the same kind of thing for an entire car trip." Ib had never really met anyone with such a peculiar taste in music. Then again

she had never met anyone like Garry. He spoke like a lady, had a very unique fashion sense, had some cowardly traits but at the same time was

incredibly brave when he had to be, and despite how friendly and outgoing he was she could not read him fully. Ib had found out his job and a huge

hobby of his but she still felt there was so much of Garry that she didn't know. She wanted to know more, in fact she wanted to know all of her new

friend. Looking at him as he watched the road she smiled to herself. There was a warmth in Garry's presence. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he

had protected her in the gallery but she felt it was more than that. Ib knew she could trust him and that he would never do anything to hurt her. All of

the odd things about him were just another part of what made him special to her. She would do everything that she could to hold onto him. "I am glad

that I found you today... I was very surprised..." Garry quickly looked over at Ib to acknowledge her and then looked back at the road. "Yeah I was

caught off guard... But it was in a good way!" Garry had in fact been very shocked to see Ib in the park that day. But both of them had been relieved to

know that they lived so close to each other. Garry's truck finally reached Ib's street and she snapped out of her deep thought. "My house is just a few

houses down to the left. It is white and there should be a black car parked in the driveway." Garry kept his eyes peeled. "I should probably drop you

off on the sidewalk near it. After all your parents would probably be very suspicious of you getting dropped off by an odd looking truck like mine." Ib

told him that he was right and right before they reached her house he stopped the truck. Ib got out and grabbed her bike from the back. She waved to

Garry and he responded with a wave. Ib then walked down the sidewalk and towards her house. Garry watched her until she reached it to make sure

she was safe and then headed home. It was a day both of them would remember fondly for the rest of their lives. Not only had the promise of reunion

been fulfilled but the start of a new chapter in both of their lives had begun.

Author's Note: Well that was Chapter 1... I will try and regularly update this series and make changes or adjustments based on feedback. Please tell

me what you think of my story and be as honest as possible. I may not even add lemon if enough people object to it, though if the plot demands it at

some point I will still do it. If I do add lemon it wont be forced and will be at a crucial story moment. See you later!


	2. Chapter 2 - Macaroons

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long but school is a thing that happens XD I tried to put as much effort as I could into this episode. It is longer than the

first and I hope you enjoy it!

Ib and Garry: Afterstory

Chapter 2: Macaroons

The week went by slowly for Ib as she anticipated the upcoming weekend. Her parents had questioned her about her new friend and what she was

like. Ib had to keep lying to them but due to her typical quiet and introverted nature she could easily lie without looking insincere. "How old is she?" her

mother asked. "She is twelve, just a little bit older than I am." Ib responded. She tried her best not to stretch the truth too far. Her friend was older but

certainly much older than she could say. "Is her family nice?" Ib's father asked. Ib didn't know much about Garry's family. She knew that she had to ask

him since she was interested in learning more about his family. But when answering her father she just said "I don't see much of them but they seem

nice." Ib knew she had to be as convincing as possible but her parents didn't seem to doubt her at all. This relieved her and she tried to avoid the

subject of her friend whenever she could. She did inform her parents about her regular visits every weekend and they seemed fine with it. Ib had

always been a well behaved child and it had helped her gain her parent's trust. With her parents out of the way Ib just had to wait. Meanwhile Garry

had also been excited for the weekend. Garry had been working hard at the thrift store when someone had brought in a very odd yet beautiful piece of

artwork. It was a rose made of stitched together fabrics. There seem to be little pieces of hundreds of different fabrics that had been sewed together

to make such a unique little creation. Garry had been mesmerized by it the second he saw it. The person who brought it in was a friendly woman who

seemed to be in a hurry. Thrift store policy did not allow the customer to get too much money for there donation but Garry gave the woman as much as

he could. Once he got the rose Garry quickly paid double to buy it himself. It was the perfect gift for Ib he thought, and he wanted to give it to her after

their meal Saturday. It had cost Garry a good amount of money but he knew that she was worth it. When Saturday finally came Ib told her parents she

was going to ride her bike to her friend's house and they saw her off. Garry had arrived at the park as early as possible since he did not want to have

to make Ib wait. Garry waited about twenty minutes before Ib showed up on her bike. She got off and gave Garry a brief hug. Garry smiled at her

"Good to see you Ib! How is your week?" The two walked to Garry's truck. "It was alright. Are you okay...?" Garry helped her put her bike into the back

of the truck "Yup I am great! Had a semi productive week. Plus I am really excited for today." The two got into his truck and he began to drive

downtown. "You ever been downtown?" Garry asked. "Yes... I go downtown sometimes with my mom to go shopping for clothes." Ib replied. Garry

eyed Ib's usually formal attire "So that is where you get all of those pretty clothes. I bet you shop at a pretty high end store?" Ib looked confused

"What does that mean?" Garry remembered that Ib's vocabulary wasn't at the same level as his. "Well high end is like another way of saying fancy and

expensive." Ib understood now "Ah okay I get it... Yeah it is a very fancy store. I know my mom always tells me not to mess my clothes up since they

cost a lot." Garry had known that Ib's family was quite well off. He wondered what their careers were but decided not to ask her just yet. Instead he

decided to crack a joke. "Yeah my clothes are not even on the same level as yours. Most of it is second hand stuff I pick up at the thrift store where I

work. But hey I enjoy my cheap attire." Ib giggled a bit "I like your clothes. They suit you..." Garry blushed "Thanks, I am glad you like them." The two of

them were silent for a bit, enjoying each others presence. Ib was the one who finally broke it. "Your jacket is warm... It feels very cozy too..." Garry

nodded in agreement "Yeah it comes in handy on a cold day. But I mainly wear it for fashion reasons." Garry stopped the truck at the first red light. Ib

looked at the hustled civilians running around the downtown city streets. The area was so full of life, especially compared to the small and quiet, middle

class, community that Ib had grown up in. When the light turned green Garry spoke "We should be there in a few minutes." The truck pulled around the

corner of the street. Ib wanted to say something but she felt a bit nervous. Being as shy as she was she usually relied on Garry to trigger whatever

conversation that she would participate in. Ib knew she wanted today to be special though. So she decided to try speak up. "Um..." Garry looked over

at her. "Yes Ib?" Ib could feel herself piece together exactly what she had to say. "I...I'm not very good at starting conversations...but I like to talk to

you... so if I don't say anything could you..." Garry knew what the demure child was trying to say. "You want me to bring up some subjects to keep

things lively if they get too quiet?" Ib gave a gentle nod. Garry pondered what to discuss with his friend while he drove down the city street, once again

hampered by a red light. "Well, how about this. I tell you five facts that not very many people know about me and I do the same for you?" Ib liked the

idea. "Sure." Garry then started, "Fact number one: I have an irrational fear of raccoons." Ib giggled "Why?" Garry shrugged "I dunno, they are just

creepy to me." After he said this the two pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant called Ernie's Italian Diner. "We are here. I guess we will finish this

conversation while we wait for our meals." Ib agreed with Garry and the two went inside. The restaurant smelled lovely, like many different varieties of

food. Garry asked Ib if she preferred traditional tables or a booth and she chose the booth. The two sat down and waited for the waiter to arrive. "Fact

two: I have never gotten along very well with males. All of my friends in school were female. I just always saw guys acting like they had something to

prove. They seemed more closed off whereas girls seemed more open and true to themselves. That being said, it was always hard to get a girlfriend

since they either thought I was gay or they friend zoned me." Ib was interested in what he had said. "That is sad... What does friend zoned mean

though?" Garry chuckled "Yeah I guess I should have figured you would not understand that. Friend zoning is basically when you get along really well

with a girl but for some reason they only want to be friends. It never made much sense to me but a lot of girls seem to only want to date guys that

treat them poorly." Ib was even more curious now. "But that doesn't make sense... Why would a girl want a mean boyfriend?" Garry let out a nervous

chuckle that masked a little bit of hurt. "Its really difficult to understand. You may get it when you are older." Garry had not fully answered Ib's question

but she could tell that he was hiding some feelings that he would rather not share. The waiter arrived shortly after this. "What would you two like to

order?" Ib and Garry had picked what they wanted off of the menu. Garry ordered some chicken and noodles and Ib got lasagna with parmesan. The

waiter left to fulfill their orders and Ib and Garry continued talking. "Fact three: I used to practice violin in middle school." Ib was impressed "Violin

sounds really pretty. Why did you stop?" Garry knew he had to word his answer in a way that would make sense to Ib. "I stopped because it was

taking up too much time. I was pretty good but everyone in my class seemed as good or somewhat better. Plus I felt that I wasn't really passionate

about it. I wanted to spend my time on something I cared about more." Ib understood perfectly. She remembered taking dancing classes when she

was eight and how much she hated it. She practically had to beg her mom to get her out. But she didn't feel like she could tell Garry that since it was

pretty embarrassing. "I understand. If people don't care about what they are doing then their life must be pretty boring." Garry nodded "Yeah I know.

Anyways I ended up taking art class which I really loved, so I have no regrets. Ib was very intrigued by this "Is that how you came to love art?" Garry

smiled "Yup. In fact the fourth fact is that I have painted a few pictures myself. Ib's eyes widened "Really? Can I see them someday..." Garry nodded

"Yeah I've just gotta find them. They are buried in my closet somewhere. I haven't painted since high school and they are not very good but if you want

to see them than I have no objections." Ib smiled. She was happy to have learned something like this about Garry. Knowing how unique a person

Garry is Ib was very curious about what sort of artwork he had created. "Cool I hope that you can find them then..." Seeing Ib light up like she did

when he mentioned his artwork made Garry very happy. "No problem! I will make sure to search really hard and see if I can spot them." The waiter

came around with Ib and Garry's meals. "Well let's chow down." Garry said as he picked up some noodles with his fork. The two slowly and peacefully

ate their meal. Every now and then Ib would look up at Garry who had been paying attention to his plate. Garry caught her gaze once though and Ib

had quickly looked back down at her meal in response. Garry quickly look down at his meal again and the two of them blushed. When they finished

their meals Garry asked her how her meal was. "Good... Really good..." Ib said trying to sound as satisfied as possible. "I'm glad." Garry said with a soft

smile. The waiter came around "Would you two like dessert?" Garry looked over at Ib and grinned and she smiled back at him. The time had come. "A

plate of macaroons please." The waiter acknowledged Garry's order and quickly hurried off. During the wait Garry decided to finish his previous

conversation with Ib. "Fact five: I never had many friends..." The entire tone of the room changed. Ib felt a little sad and she could see Garry was trying

to be honest with her. Garry knew he wanted to share this with her. "I am no loner, people just... they get put off by me. In school I always had a pal

or two but I only had a few consistent friends. None of them talk to me these days though... I last had contact with one of them seven months ago.

They all moved on I guess..." Ib wanted to say something but she did not know what to say. All she could do was give him an expression that showed

she cared. Garry continued "I was an outcast, after all I dressed weird, only hung around girls, and didn't fit into any of the typical cliques you see in

schools. I don't want you to be sad though or try and comfort me. I am not saying this to get pity, I am saying this because I want you to know how

precious your company is to me. Don't feel like you are just a kid and I am some grown up who thinks of you as less than him. You are my dearest

friend, after the gallery you could have easily forgotten about me and ignored me in the park but you didn't. I can see how much you care, even if you

don't know how to properly express it with words yet. Your feelings are genuine, I have never seen you come off as fake. And its not just because you

are a kid... you are special..." Ib blushed but her chest felt really warm. She looked up at Garry and channeling the warmth in her gave him a smile.

"Thank you Garry..." Garry was about to respond when the waiter came in with a plate of macaroons. Garry changed the subject to fit the occasion

"Well then, on the count of three we will both eat one." The two of them lifted one each off of the plate. Garry counted "3...2...1..." And then they each

took a bite of their respective macaroon. Ib's mouth immediately began to fill with sweetness. It was such a simple but inviting taste. Before she knew

it she had eaten one and moved on to the next one. Garry could see how much she was enjoying them and made sure to only eat a few so she could

have as much as she needed. After a few minutes the plate of macaroons was completely barren. "Sooo how did they taste?" Garry said playfully.

"A...mazing!" Ib said in a completely cheerful tone. Garry laughed "See I told you so!" The two were filled with joy, the meal and the night had been a

success. When they got back in the truck Ib spoke up. "About what you said..." Ib had finally found her words. "Those people who thought you were

weird... who abandoned you... they were wrong. I think you are cool... and the nicest person I have ever met... so don't feel sad... because I like you a

lot." Garry knew that Ib put everything into those words. She may not have had the vocabulary but what she meant was clear. Garry put his hand on

her shoulder. "Thank you..." Ib blushed but she didn't feel nervous she just looked him in the eyes. The two just stared at each other. Garry quickly

embraced her in a hug. Ib didn't flinch, she just sat there and closed her eyes taking in all of his warmth. After a minute he let go. "I am sorry..." She

lightly grasped his hand "Don't be sorry... I have hugged you before." Garry nodded at her very valid response "I know, it is just different when I do

it..." They sat in silence again for a bit before Garry finally decided to start up the car. They began the silent drive home towards Ib's place. "What

about my five facts...?" Ib said silently. Garry had forgotten about how she had a turn as well. "How about you think really hard about them and tell me

next time. After all, it makes it more special if some serious thought is put into it, right?" Ib nodded "Yeah that is true." Garry had figured that she

probably could not come up with the right thing to say on the spot though it wasn't his main intent behind what he had said. "Anyways Ib, it gives me

one extra thing to be excited for next time we meet." Ib liked to think about it that way. But she had one important thing to tell him that she had

almost forgotten. "By the way... my birthday is next week... you don't have to get me anything but..." Garry interrupted her "I will give you something.

In fact I have a great idea." Ib's eyes lit up "Cool, just don't feel any pressure..." Garry patted her on the head "Please don't be modest. You are a

good friend, of course I want to celebrate your birthday." Ib knew he didn't like it when she was modest but she couldn't help it. "Okay. My birthday is

Friday so we can celebrate the day after when I see you." Garry turned onto Ib's street "Sounds good." Garry stopped his car "I hope your tenth

birthday goes really well Ib." She thanked him and was about to leave when Garry realized that he had forgotten something very crucial. "Wait Ib!" She

turned to face him. Garry reached into the glove compartment and pulled out the rose he had purchased at the thrift store. "This isn't your birthday gift,

it is just a little something that I wanted to give you." Ib took it in her hands and stared at it. "I.. love it..." It was the perfect gift, it reminded Ib of

when they first met and she had helped him in the gallery. It was also the kind of art that she had been interested in the most. "Thank you Garry, I

hope to see you once again really soon." Garry smiled at the frail girl he had grown so attached to. "Of course Ib, I will always be at that bench waiting

for you. Always..."

Author's Note: So that is it for now. I will make sure to update more regularly from now on. Tune in next time to see what happens the day after Ib's birthday! :)


	3. Chapter 3 - Special Occasion

Author's Note: Sorry that it took me so long to get this out but I got sick recently. Then after that my brother got the week off from school. He is one of

those people that relies on others (mainly me) for his entertainment so I had to spend the entire week with him. I got almost no me time and felt like

exploding by the end. He is a good kid but he can really drain you with his constant need for attention. So yeah lots of things got in the way of finishing

this chapter. With all of these things and school the chapter got really delayed. Also I tried to update on Friday but would not let me upload my chapter.

Luckily my semester of college is almost over and the summer is on its way. I can't promise that I will update regularly but I will try my best to keep this

series going strong. I will never give up on it, that's a promise. So yeah hope you enjoy chapter 3...

Ib and Garry: Afterstory

Chapter 3: Special Occasion

It was a cold Saturday morning. Ib was waiting in front of the bench as a cold breeze hit her. "Where is he?" Garry was nowhere to be seen. She had

just arrived but the morning was so cold. "Why isn't he here?" she thought to herself as she began to panic. "He promised me... I hope he's okay..." Ib

began to tear up when out of nowhere a hand touched the top of her head. "Sorry I wanted to surprise you." a familiar voice said. Ib turned around to

see Garry smiling at her with a present tucked under his arm. Ib hugged him but afterward gave him a stern look. "Don't scare me like that again..."

Garry gave a slightly sad look "Sorry Ib..." Ib just gave him a smile "Don't worry about it." Garry handed the small girl her present. "How was your

birthday Ib?" She tucked the gift under her arm "It was really fun. My parents took me to a movie and afterward we went to this ice cream place. It had

all sorts of weird flavors like lemon chocolate and gumdrops." Garry laughed "Sounds really fun." Ib nodded "Yeah it was a great birthday." The two got

into the truck and Garry started it up. "So have you thought about those five facts?" Ib buckled herself up and placed the gift on her lap. "Yeah I really

thought about it." Garry began down the street "Awesome, whenever you feel like it, my ears are open." Ib gave a slight smile "I guess I will now

then." Ib had truly thought over what exactly she would tell him all week. She wanted to give facts that would show Garry how much she trusted him.

"Okay, my first fact is that I am afraid of being alone." Garry was surprised. "Wow, it must have been really hard for you when you first got trapped in

the gallery then?" Ib nodded "I was scared but I knew that the only way to escape was to be calm and be brave." Garry was impressed by her

maturity, he knew that she was a smart girl but he her ability to overcome her fear for the sake of survival was great. "Wow that was really brave Ib.

Those kind of survival skills are very important. But yeah I can understand your fear. Being alone is an awful thing." Ib had blushed when he

complemented her abilities. "Thanks... Another way I was able to help myself to not get too afraid was to remember that if I didn't act brave I would

never see anyone again... But thankfully I met you..." Garry patted her on the head. "Yeah I would have died if you hadn't found me." Ib remembered

when she first saw Garry on the ground and what a mess he had been. "Yeah... You saved me as well when Mary went crazy." Garry had rushed to Ib's

side when he discovered the alarming truth about their supposed ally. He remembered how relieved he was when he found her okay. "Yeah, it was a

scary situation for both of us. I was so scared that she had done something horrible to you. I can't imagine what would have happened if I didn't make

it in time." Ib had watched Mary slowly go from a cheery child to a psychopath. She had been helpless to do anything as Mary had begun to become

dangerous. "I am glad you saved me. I was worried about you as well when we got split up. I didn't know if something happened when you were

away. But it was on my mind all the time." Garry had remembered the nightmarish situations he had encountered. "I almost died. Luckily I found the

key in a trap room before I was devoured." Ib's eyes widened "You were almost eaten?!" Garry laughed "Yup there was the huge, ugly, monster that

came out of a large picture frame that almost ate me." Ib shivered a bit "Glad you got out of there. That sounds so scary." Garry wondered if Mary had

set the trap or the gallery itself was out to get him. "Yeah, waaay too close of a call. But hey, we made it out, no need to dwell on it too much." Ib

realized how little they had talked about the gallery. But just hearing some of the stuff that Garry had experienced made her glad that they had

avoided the subject for the most part. Though she loved the parts where they met and helped each other. "Okay I guess I should say my second fact."

Garry nodded in agreement and Ib began. "Okay my second fact is that I don't have any siblings... Sorry this one is kind of boring..." Garry chuckled at

Ib's insecure comment. "It's okay they don't all need to be super revealing. Anyways the life of an only child is very different from that of one with

siblings." Garry's response had encouraged Ib to talk more about it. "Yeah it gets lonely without a brother or sister. My parents are always so busy that

they never have the time to have another kid. They have really good jobs that pay a lot of money but it takes up all of their time." Garry felt bad about

Ib's situation. It made sense since her family is so well off but he had to wonder how their jobs effected their relationship with Ib. "I am sorry to hear

that. I had a little sister so I don't know how it feels like to have no siblings. She was quite the character my sister. She was very sweet but had quite

the temper." Ib giggled "Sounds like an interesting person to live with." Garry chuckled "Yeah I love my sis. I still keep in touch with her. She will send

me an email every now and then updating me on her life. My mom raised us quite well. It was tough since my dad died in a car accident when I was

really young. My mom raised us all on her own while working two jobs. But she pulled it off because she was an amazing woman." Ib felt sad about

Garry's father "I am sorry about what happened with your dad..." Garry gave her a smile "Its okay, I never really knew him but my life has been great

despite the lack of a dad. I am sure he would be happy with everything if he was still alive. But thanks for your concern." Ib was happy that Garry had

such a positive outlook. "I had not realized how well off I was until I was I heard about your situation..." Garry put his hand on Ib's head "Don't think

about it that way. I wouldn't trade my sister for all the money in the world. I am just fine." Ib thought that Garry had made a good point. Really thinking

about it she would have preferred a sibling over money as well. Especially if it meant her mom and dad would spend more time with her. "I think you

are right. Still it would be rude if I said that you were better off than me. Especially with all the hardships you had to face..." Garry put his hand on her

head once again but this time he moved it down to her face and brushed her cheek with his hand. Ib blushed really hard as Garry responded to her.

"Don't think that way Ib. I admire honesty and when you are with me I want you to know that you can say what you feel. Yeah I had a lot of

disadvantages but I am very satisfied with my life so far. Again it is far from perfect, but hey I would never feel offended if someone with more money

than me said they had it worse." Garry meant what he said. The man had his fair share of tragedy but he would never let it drag him down or lead to

self pity. Ib appreciated what he said and decided to try and be honest and not let herself get too embarrassed by anything she wanted to say. "Thank

you Garry... I am glad you feel that way... Um... I guess I should say the third fact." Garry pulled down a familiar street. "We are almost to my house.

How about once we get inside?" Ib nodded and Garry continued to drive a short while until he reached his driveway. Once he pulled in the two got out

and entered his home. Ib's present was put down on the kitchen table. Garry removed his jacket and put it on a chair next to the table. Ib noticed that

the green shirt he had worn underneath his jacket exposed his slender and well built figure. The thought crossed her mind of how handsome he was

but Ib quickly tried to reject it. Thoughts like that were too embarrassing to her. While she was getting flustered Garry walked over to the fridge

opened it. Ib heard a click of a lighter and Garry walked over with a small cake with a candle lit on top of it. "Thought a celebration would not be

complete without this." Ib was not expecting the cake and was very surprised by Garry's treat. "Thank you very much." Ib gave a polite little bow which

caused Garry to chuckle. He ruffled her hair affectionately and placed the cake on the table. Ib closed her eyes and blew the candle out. Garry could see

the gratitude in her eyes and this made him happy. "Did you wish for anything?" Ib nodded "Just something simple. I wished that things would stay the

same... because I am really happy right now." Garry put his hand on her shoulder "That is good. Simple wishes are just fine. I am glad that you are

pleased with everything. Let's hope that things never get too crazy." Ib giggled "Yeah... I guess I will tell you my third fact now." Garry lifted up her gift

"What about this?"Ib was looking forward to it but... "I think I would rather open it afterward." Garry just shrugged and put it down. "Fine with me." Ib

went on with her next fact as Garry cut the cake. "Fact three, I like the dark." Garry was intrigued "Why is that?" he said with grin. Ib could see that he

was interested in knowing. "Well being alone does scare me but there is something about the darkness I just find comforting. When I am alone it

makes me feel a lot better. Its like the darkness is shielding me from everything else. A lot of kids I know are afraid of the dark but I have never been

that way. I have always felt safe in the darkness." Garry admired her interesting outlook. "I get what you mean Ib. There is that quiet safety that no

one really talks about. I dig the dark, though that was pretty scary in the gallery when everything went dark on us." Ib nodded "Yeah. That was

different though. The darkness briefly separated us. It was not the dark that made it scary but the fact that we could not see each other." Garry ruffled

her hair a little more "Yeah, you have a really interesting way of looking at things Ib... Oh and sorry if the hair thing bothers you." Ib shook her head

"No not at all, I don't mind. I just get a little nervous when you do it because I don't expect it. Plus I am a little socially weird..." Garry noticed how

honest Ib had been. She could describe her feelings very uniquely but in a way that made sense. It was uncanny for a girl her age. "Well I'm glad it

doesn't bother you. Just let me know if anything that I do does." Ib nodded "I will... but you would have to try really hard to be able to bother me..."

Garry laughed "Well, thank you! I am guessing that was a complement..." Garry said the last sentence with a joking tone to his voice. Ib smiled at his

playful comments. "Umm... I guess I'll say my fourth fact now." Garry nodded his head to assure her and she went on. "Fact number four, I love movies,

books, and television shows... Sorry another lame one... I had a hard time coming up with five reeeallly good ones and I wanted to save the best for

last." Garry found Ib's bashful insecurity adorable. "I never said they had to be five super amazing facts. Just five simple facts. Don't be pressured to

tell me really deep ones, you are only ten years old after all so you shouldn't put such high expectations on yourself." Ib knew that Garry was right but

she really wanted to impress him. "Okay... But yeah I really like the different stories that those three things tell. I especially like movies, books, and

shows about adventures or love stories. Those are my favorite." Garry and Ib ate away at the cake as Garry responded to her. "I enjoy adventure and

romance as well. Usually guys don't like romance but as I told you before I am not much like the majority of men. I am not a fan of the super sappy,

badly written, romance stories but ones that develop a friendship and turn it into a romance intrigue me. Its all about the characters and writing, if

those two things are good then the romance is as well." Ib knew what Garry meant despite his use of big words "Yeah the ones with the mushy stuff

are bad. But I really love stories where two people get to know each other. It is always fun to see two people grow together and share a special

connection. It is like an adventure... only with words..." Garry laughed at Ib's last statement. "Yeah that is a really unique way of describing it. But all of

what you said is very true Ib. As for adventures they are a lot of fun. There is the big epic fantasy kind, the horror and mystery kinds, and the ones that

take place in space. Which one is your favorite?" Ib took a moment to think it over. "Probably the fantasy kind. Those adventures are so exciting. I like

the other kinds though just as long as they are interesting and I like the characters." Garry had guessed correctly, he knew that girls her age seemed

to love fantasy. "I like fantasy a lot but my favorite would have to be horror with a dash of mystery, which is why I grouped them together. Something

about those two goes together nicely and when the story has great writing and is very thought provoking it is the perfect formula." Ib liked listening to

Garry talk about things he liked. Something about it put her at ease. "Cool, I see why you like that. Horror can be really fun even when it gives me the

chills... We were even in a horror story in a way." Garry chuckled at Ib's comment and she continued. "I really like the Vampire Pact TV series. It is so

interesting with all of the characters and the secret war between the vampires and humans and how it effects everyone. I know that is based on some

books though they are really big so I haven't read them yet." Garry was excited that she was into that particular series. "I love those books. The show

is good but they do change some things around and they don't explain as much. Once you get older I highly recommend that you read them. There is a

lot of deep themes in that series that may go over your head but I am sure you will understand them some day. I have a question for you though, what

do you think about the character of Aisha?" Ib thought in depth about the very polarizing character that Garry had brought up. "Well she does do some

bad things but I feel sorry for her. She seems really sad about what she has done. Its not like she hurts anyone out of enjoyment and her bond with

Luke is really interesting." Garry gave her a smile "Well I am glad that you understand. Her character may be considered one of the villains but she is

not really evil. Her character is supposed to represent the flawed nature of people and how sometimes we must do bad things to protect those that we

love. I am glad that you don't hate her since a lot of people do, but they really don't understand her character." Garry knew that Ib had the ability to

comprehend things that a lot of other people couldn't and was sure that when she was older she had the potential to be really wise. Ib was glad that

Garry liked her response. She really meant what she said and getting the response she did from Garry made her feel smart. "I will definitely read the

books when I am older. Anyways I guess it is time for my fifth fact." Ib cleared her throat "Fact number five, I almost died." The room fell silent. "Ib..." is

all Garry could say. She looked him in the eyes. "It wasn't in the gallery either. It was when I was younger. Me and my parents were on a camping trip

together. Late at night I woke up when I heard someone singing. My parents were asleep but I could hear this person from the tent. It sounded like a

girl my age and she sounded really nice. I was scared but I felt I could trust her so I left the tent. When I got outside I saw her standing in front of it.

She had pale skin and long, blonde, and curly hair. Also she seemed to be wearing a white dress. The girl asked me if I wanted to play with her. I said

yes and I followed her through the forest. I ran after her until we reached a lake. Once I got there I couldn't find her anymore so I started looking

around. When I got close to the lake she came out of nowhere and pushed me in. She started holding me down in the water and I began to choke.

Before she could drown me though I heard my dad in the distance calling for me and she vanished. He ran up to where I was and pulled me out of the

water and shortly afterward we went home. I know it is hard to believe but it really happened." Garry smiled at her and patted her on the head. "Of

course I believe you. I mean we did get sucked into a haunted gallery after all. Even if we didn't though I still trust you enough to believe you. Ib, there

is some crazy stuff going on in the world. Stuff that we can't even imagine or understand. I have seen some weird stuff too though my memory of it is a

bit fuzzy. The gallery was one huge experienced that proved the supernatural though. I am certain there is more stuff like it out there. If it ever

happens again though I hope I am right by your side when it does. I will do whatever I can to keep you safe." Garry put his hand on her cheek and

looked into her eyes. Ib blushed but she smiled at him and put her hand on his leg. "Thank you Garry. Everything you said means so much to me. I will

protect you too though. Just like I did when we first met." Garry was touched by her words. He knew that Ib was just a child but he believed every

word of what she had said. "Well now that your facts are done let me give you this." Garry handed her the gift and she slowly unwrapped it. When she

opened it up she found a painting of an eye underneath. It was beautiful, the different colors and the way the eye was drawn was simply stunning.

"Where did you find this?" she asked. "I made it myself." Garry answered. Ib was caught off guard by his response but Garry explained it to her.

"Remember when I told you that I painted some stuff in high school? Well I looked around my apartment to find one of my paintings and I found this. Ib

I want you to have this, not only as a birthday gift but a token of our friendship." Ib put the painting down and embraced Garry in a hug. "Thank you so

much Garry!" Ib said with a squeal. Garry was stunned out how happy she was but he hugged her back. "No problem Ib, you deserve it."

Later that night Garry drove Ib home. The small girl had the gift on her lap and stared at it for the whole trip. When they finally pulled up to the house

Ib unbuckled herself and Garry turned to her. "Hope you enjoyed our celebration and I look forward to seeing you next week." Ib turned back and

looked him straight in the eyes. "I loved the celebration and I am very excited for next week!" She came closer to him "So long Garry!" she said right

before planting a kiss on his cheek. Afterwards she quickly rushed out of the truck and over to her house. Garry sat still in amazement as a blush came

across his face. Back inside Ib rushed upstairs to her room and hung the paining in front of her bed, replacing a girly poster she had up since she was

really little. She sat and looked at the wonderful painting. "Garry... Thank you."

Author's Note: Well that is it for now! Again no promises on a quick release but I really hope to get the next chapter done faster. Next time will be a time skip to three years later when Ib is fourteen. What will happen then? Stay tuned to find out ;)


	4. Chapter 4 - The Passing Days

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait but I have finally gotten back in the swing of writing this series and college is over until fall. Again no promises on

a short wait between now and the next chapter but rest assured this series is never canceled, I am never giving up on it. The only way this series ends

is if I die or lose my mind and end up in an asylum :)

Ib and Garry: Afterstory

Chapter 4: The Passing Days

Three years had passed before Ib had known it. Over the course of these years her and Garry had stayed close friends and continued to visit each

other on the weekends. Their secret had remained intact over the years despite some occasional suspicion from her parents. The weekends were

always fun and Ib's school life was good as well. She had made a few friends at school and would go to their houses regularly though she would make

sure to never do it in the time reserved to spend with Garry. Garry still had his job at the thrift store and would always make sure to pick anything but

for Ib that he found interesting. Garry had appreciated the young girl's loyalty to him despite her new social situations and tried his best to make their

time together more enjoyable. Ib had been going through more than just social changes though. Being fourteen she began going through puberty and

having her period once a month. Like most teenagers she would go through mood swings and her feelings would fluctuate all over the place. Ib felt

uncomfortable sharing these changes with Garry and when she was around him would try to talk about less awkward things. Garry understood that

she was going through changes but tried to avoid the subject since he could tell that it made Ib feel uneasy. Instead he always made sure to talk with

her about whatever was on her mind. The two would have fun conversations and nothing too awkward would ever come up. One weekend Ib was

running a little late to get to the park due to her having to help her mother with something. When she arrived at the park she was panting from

exhaustion and approached Garry. "So... sorry... Garry..." He got up off of the bench and approached her. "Easy, its fine that you were late. No need to

push yourself like that. I can wait." He touched her shoulders to ease her and Ib caught her breath. Afterward Ib gave him a smile of assurance. "I am

fine! You are right I shouldn't push myself. I was just worried I might miss you..." Garry shook his head "I would never leave Ib. You don't have to

worry. I am grateful that you care that much but please believe me when I say that I will wait as long as it takes." Ib got a little embarrassed. She felt

kind of bad about it but she had a knack for worrying about things like this. She was going through a very weird stage of her life after all. "So sorry

Garry..." Garry chuckled "Don't go apologizing on me now. Its perfectly okay Ib I am not offended. Let's just enjoy this weekend the best that we can."

Ib nodded in agreement. "Yeah... We should go for a walk around in that forest near your apartment." They both got in Garry's truck. Garry began the

drive towards his house. "That sounds interesting enough. The weather is getting nicer after all. I can feel the summer coming soon and it is a really

beautiful day. That is definitely a good idea." Garry's truck took off down the street. On the trip to his house Ib decided to bring up some school related

stuff. "So we have to do a narrative for my English class." Garry was interested. "Ah I remember how fun those used to be. Easily the best part of

English class." Ib tried to imagine the kind of story that Garry would write. "Umm what were some of the things you wrote?" Garry took a moment to

recall his school days. "Well I remember writing some pretty artsy stuff whenever I had the chance. I forgot the basics of most my stories but I know

they involved girls going through weird experiences that had deeper and symbolic meanings behind them. I doubt they aged that well and I don't know

if I could even decipher the meanings anymore." Ib wondered exactly what those stories were like. She could tell that Garry must not have had too

much attachment to them since he couldn't remember much. "Um what inspired you to write that kind of story?" Garry shrugged "Its sort of fuzzy for

me. I was sort of depressed back then and a lot of different things went through my head." Garry's chipper personality made it hard for Ib to imagine a

time when he was depressed. "If its not too much to ask... why were you depressed?" Garry looked over at Ib "Remember what I said, you don't have

to be afraid to ask anything. If you really want to know I will tell you. But we should probably wait until I get home." Ib heard a little bit of sadness in

his voice when he talked about the subject. She felt a little bad about talking about it in the first place. "Uh... Sorry Garry, we don't have to talk about it

if you don't want to..." Garry reached over and touched her shoulder "No... There are some things that I shouldn't keep from you. We have been good

friends for over three years and I feel like I can share this sort of thing with you." Those words made Ib feel good since she really cared about Garry

and was happy that he felt so comfortable around her. The trip only lasted a little while longer and they finally reached Garry's house. When they got

inside Garry hung his coat up and headed into the kitchen. Ib followed after him. When she entered the kitchen she saw Garry sitting down at the table

and eating a banana. Ib's mind once again focused on his body that his undershirt outlined so well. She had to keep her mind off of it. One of the

hardest parts about puberty for her was how it made her focus on things like that more often. It didn't help that Garry was a really handsome guy and

that he was exactly Ib's type. Still Ib cared about him strongly as a friend and he was much older than she was. These thing kept her mind from ever

thinking about Garry in more than a friendly way. After Garry finished the banana he spoke up. "So I guess I should explain my past a little bit to you."

Garry tossed the banana peel into the trash and continued. "In late Middle School and early High School I became really depressed. Before that point I

had some really good friendships with some girls. But slowly I could see them growing apart from me. They all got boyfriends and they didn't want to

hang out with another guy since it would give their boyfriends the wrong idea. I slowly lost all of my friends and it was just a really sad time in my life.

It was like that until late in the 10th grade when I met Rose..." Garry paused for a second and then continued on. "She was an exchange student from

another country. Rose had a hard time fitting in like I did so we kind of clicked. She was weird and quirky and I really enjoyed that about her. We were

close friends up until senior year when she started to act different around me. Rose seemed distant and would ignore me a lot of the time. I later

discovered that she was in a secret relationship with the father of the family that brought her over to our country. It ended up being a huge

controversy and Rose left the country shortly after. Before she left she apologized to me and told me that our friendship had meant a lot to her. She

would contact me via email for years after until she suddenly stopped. She has not sent me an email for a long time and was the last friend I had lost

contact with." Ib remembered Garry mentioning the last friend he had lost contact with three years ago when they went to that restaurant together

and he told her the five facts about himself. "I am sorry about that Garry... It must have really hurt..." Garry nodded and continued speaking "The thing

is I really loved Rose. She was the first girl I had truly loved and when I discovered the affair she had been a part of it crushed me. After I lost contact I

was hurt as well. But shortly after the gallery happened and I met you. A brave, friendly, and soft spoken young girl who saved my life and made it out

of the horrors of the gallery with me. Your friendship these past three years has meant the world to me. The whole Rose thing no longer matters that

much. I am just happy to have you. That is why I needed to tell you this Ib. I just want you to know how much you matter to me. I wouldn't trade your

friendship for Rose's ever." Ib began to blush. Garry's words meant a lot but at the same time they made her feel really weird once again. Why did

these words make her feel so odd? She was wondering what was wrong with her. "Th..thank you very much Garry. I want to keep coming over. Don't

think because I have a bunch of other friends now and am getting older that I will stop wanting to come over." Garry rubbed the top of her head "I

didn't think that but I am glad that is how you feel." Ib blushed once more and tried really hard to hide her expression. Garry's words and his motion

had just added more to her awkwardness. Garry looked at her in a puzzled way. "Whats wrong Ib?" Ib had to try even harder now. "N...n...nothing.

Sorry I am acting weirds its just that I...uh..." Ib tried the first excuse that came to mind. "My period..." The whole room went awkwardly silent. Ib and

Garry were both blushing hard. Garry had the most awkward and embarrassed look on his face. It almost made Ib laugh but she was too embarrassed

to do so. She had made a huge mistake. "S...s...sorry Garry... that was weird... I know..." Garry tried to speak up and say something to fix things "Its

fine... I understand... Uh... Teenaged girl stuff... I know, nothing to get worked up over heh heh..." Garry and Ib slowly cooled off and Ib changed the

subject. "So is there anyone you like right now?" The question was awkward but it was less awkward than what had happened before and worked as

a decent transition away from it. Garry shook his head "No not really. Being single is pretty great. Most the women I know are not my type. What about

you? I know girls around your age tend to begin having more serious crushes." Ib took a minute to think. There was some boys that she found cute in

her school but none she felt any sort of romantic feelings towards. "No not really. I mean the guys in my school are kind of immature. I mean some are

kind of cute but no one I am interested in. I am into more mature guys." Ib was telling the truth. She looked at how the boys in her school acted and

they were very childish. She guessed hanging around Garry made her have sort of high standards of how a guy should act. Garry himself seemed

impressed by what she had said. "Its good to have discerning taste, especially when it comes to relationships. I know a lot of girls your age try and

jump into a relationship with the first guy they are slightly attracted to. But you have a lot of time left in your youth which is plenty to get in a

relationship. It is much better to wait for someone who is right for you. I wish other girls your age were that mature." Garry's complement made Ib feel

good. She didn't blush this time but after the really awkward moment they had gone through earlier not much could embarrass her now. "Thank you. I

don't really care about jumping into a relationship. I have some good friends at school who I enjoy having time with and I have you so it does not

matter that much that I don't have a boyfriend." Garry could see that she was sincere and he was glad that the girl that he had grown so fond of was

smart enough to not get into any trouble. "That is good. Well if you want any advice on the subject then feel free to ask me any time." Ib nodded "I

will." Garry walked over to his cabinet and pulled out a fancy looking soup box. "You up for some soup?" Ib said she was and Garry put it on while they

continued to talk about various things. Somehow the gallery came up and they started to reflect upon that strange event that happened a few years

ago. The discussion led Garry to remember something. "I never said this but I am sorry for almost forgetting about you. If you hadn't given me that

handkerchief I probably would have forgotten. I don't know why but I seem to always get fuzzy when weird stuff happens. But still that was

inexcusable." Garry poured Ib some soup and before she had some she responded to him. "Its okay. I am the opposite though. Whenever strange

supernatural things happen I remember them vividly." Garry sat down with his soup and the two of them began to eat. "Hmm maybe its some sort of

sixth sense kind of thing. Maybe we both have one but yours is a lot stronger." Ib never thought of it that way but what Garry said made sense. "You

might be right. After all we were the only two people abducted by the gallery, even though it was a very busy day. Also we both have experienced

weird stuff in the past and since I can remember them better it makes logical sense." Garry and Ib could both see that they were on to something. Still

there was not much else to talk about and soon the conversation shifted away from the supernatural.

After they were done eating they decided to go for that walk the Ib had brought up earlier. The forest near Garry's house was lush and damp due to

the spring rain they had gotten the day before. Today was perfect though like most post rain days would get. As they walked forward admiring the

sites Garry asked Ib a question. "So how do you plan on spending your summer?" Ib shrugged "Well I go on a vacation for a week with my parents

usually. I also want to spend a lot of time with you this summer." Garry looked over at her "Well thanks, I can try and work something out so that we

can do some cool things." The two of them reached a small creek that made a soothing noise as water passed through it. Ib let it calm her. "I didn't

really spend enough time with you the past few summers and I really want to make up for that." Garry put his hand on her shoulder as they both

looked into the water. "No need to make anything up. But still if you want to do more things I would be delighted to spend some time with you." They

moved past the creek and kept making their way through the forest. Ib had thought things over and she really wanted to make this summer special.

Spending more time with Garry is one way she could do that. "Yeah it would mean a lot to me if we did some cool things this summer together. I may

have a few other friends now but I still consider you my most special one..." Ib grabbed Garry's hand after saying this. He blushed slightly but smiled

and the two continued to walk through the forest now holding hands. After a little while Garry let go. "Thanks Ib... but uh we probably shouldn't hold

hands or anything in public just in case... you know..." Ib nodded "I know..." Garry gave her another head pat "Still thanks. I guess better start

planning since I am going to have a lot to look forward to this summer." Ib was glad that Garry was so open to her idea. "Thanks Garry! This summer

will hopefully be great!" As Ib said this she noticed something on the side of her eye. There seemed to be a girl standing a few feet from them in a red

dress. When Ib looked away and looked back the girl was gone. "Uh Garry...?" Garry seemed a little off as well. He looked Ib in the eyes. "D...did you

see that Ib?" She answered honestly. Garry looked around to see if the girl was still there but she had disappeared. "Weird... Looks like we will have to

keep our eyes peeled for anything strange and out of the ordinary." "Yeah" Ib responded. They didn't let what just happened ruin their walk and they

continued through the forest. Once it started to get dark though they decided to leave and walk back to Garry's apartment. On the trip home Ib and

Garry solemnly discussed the supernatural. "What do you think it is? Ghosts, things from another world?" Ib asked him. Garry just shook his head. "I

have no clue but the more we discuss it the more I remember weird stuff from my childhood. There was this time when I was about three or four when

I was playing alone in my bedroom. I had these cool little foam dinosaur toys and I was playing a game with them. I wanted to do something with one

of the toys but suddenly I couldn't find it. I frantically searched my bed over until I saw it slowly drop from my ceiling. It freaked me out but right after

that the worst part came. I heard this cackling evil laugh like one a stereotypical witch would make. I ran out of my room and told my mom and grandma

but they said I was just imagining things. I had blocked it out all this time but now it has come back to me." Ib grabbed Garry's hand "Well at least we

are not alone in this." Garry gave her a smile "Yeah it is good to have someone who I can share my experiences with." Ib clutched his hand tightly "I

want to see you more..." Garry could see that Ib was very serious about her statement. "I know we only see each other once a week but we make

that time count. I do have work but we have this summer to look forward to and I promise we will spend a lot of time together then." Ib didn't know

what had gotten into her but suddenly she had wanted to be with Garry as much as she could. Everything that they had discussed and that happened

on this Saturday had drawn them closer. "I really hope we can do a lot this summer... I'm sorry if I sound pushy all of a sudden but Garry I..." Garry

leaned over while still driving and gave Ib a side hug. "I understand. Today was great for me as well and I want to spend a lot of time with you too. It

will come soon enough Ib. Don't think that I am not anticipating it too. You've become like family to me." Those words made touched Ib greatly. Family...

Garry had never said something like that before. Something that showed just how much he cared about her. "Thanks Garry. I feel that way too. I will

never end up like Rose. I promise to stick by you... I won't leave." Garry believed the girl. Even if she was still young those words contained a pure

truth to him. "I know... I won't leave you either. I would be a fool to abandon my first true friend."

Author's Note: Feedback is always nice and I would like to hear what you like or dislike about the direction I am going in. The next episode will take

place shortly after this one.


	5. Chapter 5 - Spring's End

Author's Note: So yeah yet another long wait (sorry), but writers block can be a real pain. I am trying my best to make this a monthly series at the very

least. Whenever I feel like it I may upload early but as a guy with a ton of different things going on in my life and a bunch of hobbies I can never

promise anything. Hope you like this chapter though and thanks for following me if you do!

Ib and Garry: Afterstory

Chapter 5: Spring's End

Two weeks left of the school year! This was all that was on Ib's mind as she rode the bus home on a beautiful Friday afternoon. Garry and her had

spent the past few weekends planning what they would do that summer. This only heightened Ib's anticipation and she was looking forward to doing

more of it on Saturday. Ib had Garry on the mind a lot recently and their summer plans seemed to get more interesting with every visit to his house.

They had already planned to see some movies, go to the beach, paint together, and go to the local fair. It was so much and Ib was very happy. She

even found a way to convince her parents to allow her to not have to go with them on their yearly trip. Ib told them that she would be staying at her

friend's house for the week. Ib had yet to tell Garry about this but she hoped that he would be happy with the idea. Still she was not sure if he would

be okay with her staying over at his house for a week but Ib didn't want to miss out on doing things with him. Garry had also been anticipating the

summer but was trying his hardest to make time for Ib with his job. Garry had worked out a deal with his boss to work extra time in exchange for some

time off during the summer. Garry was also doing a small job on the side selling some strange but beautiful crafts he hand made to make some extra

money to spend with Ib during the summer. The crafts sold surprisingly well and Garry had slowly been building up a good amount of money. In fact

one week he made more money selling his crafts than at his job. This was something that Garry had tried to keep from Ib over the past few weekends

since he wanted to surprise her with it. By this point though he had made enough to do everything they had planned during the summer. Garry felt that

this weekend was the perfect time to tell Ib about it because of this success. Each with a surprise waiting and both filled with excitement for summer

Friday went by fast and before either of them knew it Saturday had come. Saturday morning both had tried to arrive at the park on time and when Ib

showed up she ran up to Garry and embraced him in a hug. "I've got some good news!" Ib said with a smile. Garry hadn't expected Ib to have any sort

of news so this caught him off guard. "Interesting. Funny since I have some good news as well. Let's talk more when we get to the truck." Ib agreed

and the two got inside Garry's vehicle. Garry got on the road and they began their drive. "So normally I would wait until the house to talk about

important things but you have good news and I certainly do so we should probably get it out as soon as possible. Do you want to go first Ib?" Ib shook

her head "Um... I would prefer if you did. I don't want my news to interfere with yours. Trust me you'll know what I mean when I tell you." Garry wasn't

expecting that but assumed she had her reasons. "Very well then, I guess I'll go first. Well I have done a little job on the side recently to raise money

for our summer activities." Ib instantly felt a little bad. "You didn't have to work yourself extra for this summer." Garry chuckled as he put his hand on

Ib's head. "It wasn't a hard job or anything but thanks for caring. What I did was I applied myself. You keep on telling me that I have good artistic skills

so I made some crafts and tried selling them." Ib was relieved by this. "Oh that is really cool! How did they sell?" Garry pointed to his glove

compartment. "Open it." Ib pressed the button and opened it revealing a bunch of folded money. "Wow this is a lot! Did you count it?" Garry said yes

"The grand total so far is eight hundred and forty five dollars." Ib was shocked at Garry's response. "That is crazy! I told you that you were talented!"

Garry laughed nervously at her compliment "Thanks... Yeah I was shocked at how well they did. I guess I should have taken your word for it. I have

never really been the confident type though. Still if it wasn't for your faith in me I would have never tried. " Garry gave her another head pat and Ib

smiled at him. "Thanks! I know this might sound selfish but I hope we do a lot of things this summer." Garry pulled down a street and quickly directed

his attention towards Ib's comment. "That is not selfish you want to have fun. You still act all modest you need to realize that you are important

enough to me for those sorts of things to not matter. Just throw caution to the wind and say whats on your heart!" Garry said this with a cheerful and

encouraging tone. Ib had a hard time being outgoing since she wasn't the most confident girl. Still she was tired of being so afraid to express herself

and decided to trust Garry's words. "Okay then. Anyways we should probably talk about some more things to do this summer besides the ones we

already planned." Garry was definitely open to the idea. "We'll do as much as you want. Again we will make this summer a special one so I am

completely game for anything. Anyways you had something to tell me right?" Ib nodded. It was time to let him know and she hoped that he would be

open for it. "Um... you know how my parents and I normally go on a week trip together?" Garry told her he remembered clearly. "What about it Ib?" It

was the right time she thought so she told him. "Well I told my parents if I could stay at a friends during that week and they said yes so I don't have to

go. I know it may be weird if I stayed at your house for a week but I was wondering if you were okay with it?" Garry certainly didn't see that coming. As

risky as it would be letting her stay with him for an entire week he really loved the idea. "No problem Ib. I have to warn you though, we have to be

really careful that no one knows you are at my place. Still this will certainly make our summer plans a lot easier to do. Plus I would love having you over,

it is certainly something we have never done together before." Ib was happy that Garry was so open to the idea. "Good I'm glad you are okay with it.

To be honest I hate the trips I take with my parents. We usually go to overly hot tropical places and I have nothing to do but swim. I would definitely

rather spend a week with a great friend than have to endure the trip again. Plus I have a feeling my parents would like a trip all to themselves. I don't

think they will mind me not being there at all." Garry was happy to hear this. "Ah I see. Well that makes things a lot better. I have to agree that being

on a trip like that would be more of a drag than a time of rest. I'm sure your parents will enjoy getting some alone time. Adults... well you know..." Ib

giggled "Adults like some time alone so they can restore their sex life." Garry chuckled a bit at Ib's surprising reply. "Ib... Well its not like you are not

aware of that kind of thing, you are a teenager now, not the little girl I first met. I remember when we were in the gallery I had to keep a sexual book

from you." Ib was aware of this. "Yeah I remember finding that book and not getting what was going on. By the way you looked when you took it from

me I could tell it was something related to grownup stuff. Now I think if I read it I would know what was going on quite clearly." Garry ruffled her hair

"You are growing up so fast! I guess I shouldn't walk on eggshells with subjects like that anymore." Ib nodded in agreement. "You don't need to. I've

done some research and talked about it with my friends at school." Garry's curiosity was peaked. "Research? What kind of research?" Ib let out a

nervous giggle. "Well I read some of those magazines for girls that talk about sex. I know a lot of it is nonsense but they have taught me a lot of things

about sex." Garry figured as much since that is how most girls her age learned about the more risque parts of sex since the school taught brand of sex

ed covered only the basics. "Yeah I'm glad you don't take them completely serious. They can be pretty ridiculous with some of the things they teach

girls to do. I do agree that you can learn the basics through them but some of the sex acts they teach could probably end up sending a guy to the

hospital if they were done to him." Ib laughed "Yeah I knew some of that stuff was fishy. Still I am glad I learned since my parents certainly were not

going to teach me anything. They are very prudish and don't like talking about sex. I am guessing this is probably because they like it crazy in the

bedroom and don't want anyone knowing." Garry lost it laughing incredibly hard. "Wow... never knew you had that kind of wit. You are certainly not a

little girl anymore! I agree with your logic. Usually prudes are just nervous about that sort of thing and secretly have a wild side. Still you did nothing

wrong by seeking knowledge about sex. It is important to know about that kind of thing. At your age curiosity is at its peak." Ib never did feel guilty but

she also never let anyone know how she felt. Garry's accepting and encouraging words helped her be less nervous about the subject. "I am sure you

know about the kind of things my body is going through at the moment Garry. I wish I grew a little more though, I am still much shorter and smaller

than my classmates." Garry put his hand on her shoulder "Its fine you still have five years to grow. There is nothing wrong with being smaller and you

are still taller than that nine year old girl you were in the gallery." Ib blushed a bit "Not much taller..." Garry chuckled at her shy angst over her size. He

found it incredibly adorable. "You are fine the way you are in my eyes. But enough on that subject we are almost to my home! Let's spend the rest of

the day planning for summer and enjoying ourselves." Ib agreed and the truck was parked in front of his apartment. When they got inside Garry

removed his coat and asked Ib if she wanted something to eat. Ib asked for some of his delicious soups and he began cooking. Ib sat at his table and

Garry began to talk. "So a week at my house, well first things is first we need to plan where you will sleep. I think you should sleep on my bed and I will

sleep on the couch." Ib was unsure. "I don't want to take your bed from you. Anyways you have to work so you should get the comfy place to sleep."

Garry appreciated the girl's kind words. "First of all my couch is just fine. I would feel rude to have such an important guest sleep on the couch. I want

the best for you when you are over here. Second I am not working that week. I agreed to work overtime until summer so that I could get extra time off.

Before you say anything about me not having to do that, it was something I wanted to do so don't feel bad." Ib saw how savvy Garry was getting of

her modest actions so she wanted to show him she would stop. "Okay then, thank you for doing that! I am glad you care enough to make extra time

for our summer together." Garry reached over and patted her on the head. "Of course, spending time with you is one of the best parts of my life. Trust

me there is no sacrifice not worth making for our time together." Garry finished the soup and brought it over and the two began to eat. Ib loved the

very unique soups Garry would buy and found most of them delicious. "So far we have already planned going to the beach, painting together, the

movies, and the fair. I have been trying to come up with some other stuff but it is tricky. Do you have any ideas Garry?" Garry pondered for a second.

"Well we don't just have to go out and do things. I could buy a board game, we could do a movie rental marathon, and we could even spend some time

just relaxing and talking." Ib liked these idea. "Okay, you are right not everything should be some huge event we go out for. I wonder though, I just

remember how much I enjoyed that simple walk we wet for. Maybe we could go someplace special for a walk?" Garry nodded in approval "Yeah that

would be nice. Also I just remember that the nearby mall has an arcade. We could go their and play some games and afterward get some ice cream at

the booth they have in the food court." Ib liked the idea very much. "That would be so fun! I know the movies are near the mall so maybe we could do

both in the same day." Garry gave her a high five "Now you're thinking! We should do that at the start of the week too as a way to kick off the summer.

It is far easier than driving to the beach and would give us something exciting to do right away." Ib finished her soup and responded as she put her

bowl in the sink. "That is an awesome idea. We should try and do something every day together. We should really take advantage of this summer since

it might be the only one where we can do this. I think this has the potential to be an amazing summer and it is all because of you..." Ib walked up to

Garry and gave him a hug. Garry embraced her back and the two held each other for a bit. Before an embrace like this would have been kind of

awkward but now Ib and Garry had grown close enough to do something like this. They hadn't hugged like this since the gallery after Garry saved her.

But instead of an embrace of reunion this was something more intimate. Garry got carried away in the moment and planted a kiss on the top of her

head. "Sorry..." Ib shook her head with a smile. "No its fine." Ib followed up by giving him a kiss on the cheek. They both blushed but were smiling and

and not looking away like usual. Something had certainly changed between the two but they were not fully aware of it yet. Both of them had so caught

up in preparing for the summer that they had forgotten to take the time to evaluate their own feelings. But it wasn't important at the moment and

Garry and Ib became caught up in their summer discussion. The discussion eventually led to them discussing supplies. "You'll need to bring enough of

your clothes to last you the week and a swimsuit for when we go to the beach." Garry said with a responsible tone. Ib understood and had prepared a

bit before hand. "Okay, I have the suitcase that I would normally use for the week trip. I will make sure to bring everything that I need. I should have it

all, except for the sunscreen. If we are going to the beach we will need it so you should probably pick some up. As you know my skin is pretty pale. I

have issues with the sun and get sunburned very easily." Garry gave her a confirming nod "No problem, I will get the strongest sunscreen I can find. I

will also need to get the art supplies for when we paint together and I will probably look for some sort of board game so we can have fun with that at

some point." Ib liked the idea. "Thanks again Garry. You are doing a lot for me this summer and I am immensely grateful. I wish I could do more to help

you." Garry shook his head and gave Ib a comforting look "You do enough. Your friendship has been the best part of the past few years for me. You

have comforted me when I needed it and been very loyal and kind. Most girls your age would lose interest in hanging out with an older, lame, guy like

me but you have always been there." Ib quickly responded to Garry "No... You are the complete opposite of lame! I find you very cool and enjoy

spending time with you more than with any of my friends from school. I am very happy our time has been so important to you. It has not only been the

best part of the past few years for you but also for me. You are my best friend Garry..." Garry put his hand on Ib's shoulder "Same here. We have

discussed the importance of our friendship before but now that we have finally come to confess how important it is to each other there is no need for

any sort of doubt. I truly believe that you care for me so I don't think this needs discussing again. All I know is that I am incredibly grateful for you. I

would suffer through a murderous art gallery a thousand times over again to be by your side. It may have been a nightmare at the time but thinking it

over it was actually a very important occurrence. I wouldn't change it if I could." Ib grabbed his hand and smiled "I agree. I am glad that you believe

me. Trust me I don't want to be like most girls my age. I don't care that you are older or anything like that. I care only about who you are. I want to

stay by your side as much as I can. I hope you don't find it weird to have a younger girl around or anything..." Garry put his hand on her cheek "I have

gotten over it. I admit it was awkward at first but you are mature for your age and we have found a way to not let age matter despite the implications

that people might get. As long as we continue to keep our secret as well as we have then what other people might think does not matter. We know

ourselves better than anyone else does after all." Those words were very true. Ib felt a sort of romantic flair to what Garry had said. Ib blushed as

Garry looked into her eyes but once again it had nothing to do with embarrassment. Looking at him and thinking about their time together Ib began to

feel very strange. It was a good feeling but also a very different and weird one. Ib had innocent crushes on boys before but they were always because

she believed they looked cute. This was so different and she had finally come to realize what it might be. "Do I love Garry...?" This went through her

mind but she could not believe it at the moment. They had been friends for so long and the idea of romance seemed preposterous. Garry was so much

older after all. It had to be something else. It just had to be another feeling. Ib did not know for sure but she hoped that this summer together would

be able to help her understand what these feelings were. Maybe she didn't know herself as well as she thought but she knew that she would do what

it took to find her true feelings. This would certainly be a summer of change and a summer of discovery.

Author's Note: Again I apologize for the wait. I know not too much happened in this chapter but this was the prelude to the summer segment of the

story. Since it is actually summer now I hope I can finish this entire arc before school returns. Not to spoil anything but some big things are coming and

I hope you continue to follow me despite the long wait between chapters. I wish my readers a good summer and there should be more IaGAS to come.

Feedback is always welcome and hopefully my next chapter will be soon.


	6. Chapter 6 - Together for Summer

Author's Note: I am surprised this chapter was made as quickly as it has.

Despite dealing with major writers block at points I have finished it faster than the others. I hope you enjoy it.

Ib and Garry: Afterstory

Chapter 6: Together for Summer

Garry made his way to the park in his truck. It had been two weeks and Ib was now done with school. Her parents were leaving that night and so she

would be coming to the park with her suitcase for him to pick her up. Garry was really looking forward to this week and over the past two weeks had

raised even more money through his crafts. Garry's life had certainly changed ever since meeting Ib and he was hoping he could repay her for her

kindness and loyalty by giving her a week to remember. As he parked his truck Garry got out of his vehicle and sat down at the bench as he always did.

The afternoon breeze filled the air and calmed Garry as he relaxed. It was a beautiful summer day and with a week ahead of him that he was going to

share with a close friend his spirits were high. Fifteen minutes passed and Ib had not shown up yet but Garry was patient and just tried to engross

himself in his thoughts. While thinking about his good friend he wondered some things to himself. "Ib is an honest girl but I wonder if she has some

secrets she is afraid of sharing with me. She is a teenager now and all kids her age have some secrets. I hope I can connect with her this week. I want

to not only enjoy doing fun things together but I want to be able to grow closer. I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable or anything but I would

like this week to be as special as possible. I just wish we were closer in age so this wouldn't feel so weird to me. We wouldn't have to hide our

friendship and we would not have to deal with the difficulty of knowing that people would disapprove of our time together. But this is the hand I have

been dealt and I am not going to let our age difference get in the way of an important friendship. Ib has never turned her back on me and I won't do

that to her either.." Garry was determined to never let the expectations of society ruin their relationship. Despite this, inner thoughts would bother

Garry often because of the situation they were in and the secrecy they had to keep. Garry had wished things would become easier but the fact he had

to put extra effort into his friendship with Ib made it all the more precious. After thinking things over for a while Ib finally showed up on her bike with a

suitcase tied to the back. "Sorry I was late Garry! I had to make sure I did not forget anything and it was tricky getting here on my bike with a suitcase

at the back." Garry approached her and gave her pat on the head. "Its fine, I had no problem waiting! I am really looking forward to this week." Ib

gave Garry a brief hug and responded afterward "Me too! I made sure to bring the necessities since I want to have everything I need to enjoy this

week. I just hope you can put up with my 'special girl needs' if they come up." Garry chuckled at Ib's quirky joke. "I'm sure I can handle it. After all I am

pretty much a girl myself." Ib could not help but laugh at Garry's self depreciating quip. The two of them headed to the truck and put Ib's bike in the

back. The two of them began driving to Garry's house. Garry was really happy to have Ib with him and that the week had begun. Garry could notice

though that Ib seemed to be a little bit nervous. "Anything wrong Ib?" She was silent for a few seconds before responding "Um... I'm just worried I

might... You know..." Garry understood what she was tying to say. "Oh, your period... Have you had it yet this month?" Ib nodded. Garry sighed in

relief. "You should be fine then. I understand how nervous you must be not to do anything embarrassing while you are at my place but it is fine. You

don't have to be nervous about anything. Even if something awkward happens between us this week it is not the end of the world and as an adult I

can surely deal with it." Ib gave him a small smile. "Thanks. Sorry I have just never stayed at a boys house over night before so it is just a bit awkward

for me. Don't worry though I will be fine." Garry was glad Ib was honest. "Well I guess I will have to work extra hard to make my place welcoming to

you." Garry was unaware of the deeper reasons for Ib's slightly nervous demeanor. Those feelings towards Garry she had been experiencing were only

getting stronger. Garry was oblivious thanks to the common awkwardness of girls her age that masked any of her other feelings. Garry still saw Ib as a

dear friend and romance was something that could only go over his head. When they finally reached his house Garry could see that Ib had become

aware of the changes he had made to his apartment. The place was cleaned in preparation for her visit and everything was now more orderly and put

together. Ib had a very surprised look on her face. "Wow Garry your house looks so clean! Not that it was bad before or anything but it looks so much

better now!" Garry was happy that she liked what he had done. "Well it was certainly bad before but I wanted staying here to be comfortable for you.

It took a while but I finally got my place looking passable." Ib walked around and took in the much cleaner scenery. Garry followed behind, enjoying the

girl's curiosity. The couch had a blanket and a pillow on it now. Ib examined it and Garry spoke up. "I brought my pillow and blankets out here to sleep

with on the couch. As for my bed I also fixed it up for you to sleep on." Ib looked over at Garry's bedroom. "Can I see?" Garry nodded and they headed

into his bedroom. Garry and Ib walked over to the bed and she was surprised at what she saw. Garry had replaced the blankets and pillows with new

ones. Garry explained his actions to Ib. "I decided that I would buy you a comfy pillow and blanket since I am sure you would not want to use mine. I

hope you like them, I think they are really nice" Ib laid down on the bed and took in the comforting feel of the fabrics against her skin. "They feel

beautiful! I am very thankful that you went out and got this for me. You have done so much..." Garry was glad that Ib had been so thankful for what he

had done. "Well I am very happy you like my touches to the place. If there is anything else that you need me to do just let me know." Ib nodded. "I

certainly will." After getting used to the place Garry cooked some grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch and they talked and ate together. Afterward they

got ready to go to the theater. Garry showed Ib the list of movies playing and asked her which one she would want to see the most. Ib decided on a

particular movie called The Years Gone By. Garry was curious about her choice and asked her why she picked it. Ib had noticed the genre of the film

was romance but she wanted to see it badly so she explained herself to Garry. "Well I have heard a lot of good things about this movie online and this

is the last weekend it will be playing since it has been in theaters for almost two months. I know it is a romance movie but we both enjoy that genre

and its not like we are on a date or anything right?" Garry was surprised by Ib's question but he answered her clearly. "Of course not. Two friends can

go enjoy a romance movie together after all. I know it is generally a thing that couples do but that does not mean that friends cannot do it. I think the

premise of a film about two lovers from childhood to old age sounds really intriguing and I really like your choice." Ib seemed happy with Garry's

response but deep down she knew going to the movies to see a romance film with Garry made her feel weird. Still Ib was going to confront her feelings

and enjoy her week no matter what. Garry and her waited a few hours while playing a board game he had bought and when it was around six they left

for the theater. They traveled downtown to the nearby movie theater. The building was packed but most everyone was paying to see the early summer

blockbusters that opened that weekend. A little note was put next to The Years Gone By that said "Last Weekend". The two approached the counter

and Garry bought two tickets for the film. Ib was handed her ticket and the two of them headed past the ticket taker and towards the room where it

was playing. The Years Gone By was in a small room at the very back of the theater. Garry asked Ib where she would like to sit and she pointed

towards the back. "I prefer to be towards the back of the theater. It makes me feel more comfortable, I don't like the film up close and in my face."

Garry headed over towards the back "That makes sense. I am a middle guy myself but its all your call this week." Ib wanted to object and offer to sit in

the middle like Garry enjoyed but she was learning not to be so modest like Garry had asked and ignored the idea. The seats were comfortable and the

two of them sat patiently waiting for the movie. "When was the last time you saw a movie?" Ib asked trying to start a conversation before the movie

started. Garry always liked it when Ib was the one to start a conversation since she wasn't always so talkative. "Well it was a few months ago. I

usually check out movies that look interesting on my own. But the last time I went with someone else was with my sister two years ago. She came to

visit me and we saw a film together. It was an adventure movie called Lords of Snowfall." Ib remembered him talking about his sister visiting two years

ago. "That must have been really nice. I wish I could meet your sister..." Garry sat back in the movie theater chair. "It was really nice. I wish you could

meet my sister as well. If only our situation wasn't so complicated... I am sure you would really like her. Hopefully when you are older you can meet my

family and I can meet yours." Ib felt a little sad after he said that. Though their time together was great it was hard not being able to let anyone know

about it. Ib had to keep her best friend secret from everyone and that was so difficult for a girl her age. Garry didn't have it any easier but he was able

to mask his feelings. Garry secretly felt horrible about covering everything with Ib up, especially since it probably hurt her. It was the only way they

could continue to see each other though. If her parents found out there was no way they would allow Ib to continue to visit an older guy like him. Garry

felt a bit of guilt that his one close friend was someone he had to hide from everyone else. Garry knew society had a knack for overreacting but he

couldn't help but feel the slightest bit guilty. Ib never saw any of that, she did not have the perception to be able to see any of his inner feelings.

Garry checked his watch "The movie should be starting in about five minutes. I don't see anyone here which is sort of weird since even though the film

has been out for a while the theater is packed and there should be at least someone else seeing this." Ib looked around and surely enough the

theater was empty. From the back she could see everything and no one had shown up. The idea of being alone in a movie theater with Garry and

watching a romance movie was certainly embarrassing to her, but part of her also really liked the idea. Those feelings were dancing around in her head

and making her feel warm all over once again. As Ib looked over at Garry the lights dimmed. It was so sudden and she was now sitting in a dark

theater alone with him. Ib blushed immediately, it was something she couldn't help. It was at that moment that she realized the thing she had been

trying to deny. Ib was in love with Garry, it was the clear truth. Garry had all of the traits she liked in a guy, he was caring, likeable, funny, loyal,

sensitive but also mature, and not some perfect prince charming type either. Garry was down to earth and didn't need a facade, he wasn't afraid to

show his humanity and be real with her. Garry was perfectly imperfect in her mind. Ib hadn't had a crush on a boy her age in three years and now that

reason was really clear. Garry had all of the traits she wanted and none of the guys in her school could compare. Like her parents with whine, Ib had a

more refined taste in men. The boys at her school were too childish and reckless and always seemed like they had something to prove. The reason the

idea of loving Garry had been pushed so far to the back of her mind was all of the taboo involved with loving him. Ib realized that they could not be

together without taking huge risks and that Garry would be breaking the law. The thought of risking Garry's well being for the sake of her feelings was

something she did not want to do. Anyways Garry probably viewed her as a good friend and nothing more. Ib doubted he would be even interested in

her in the first place. Still now that she had finally confirmed her feelings it made things hard. Why did she have to fall for him? This is what she thought

to herself and it made her feel really sad. Garry noticed Ib's nervous and sad expressions. "Whats wrong? You seem a little sad, is everything okay?" Ib

didn't want to lie to Garry but at the same time she wanted to just stop thinking about this and enjoy the film with him. "I'll be fine... I just thought

about something sad, that's all." Garry put his hand on the top of her head and smiled at her. "Well I hope you have a good time tonight." Ib leaned

her head against his shoulder and grabbed his hand. The only way she thought she could forget and just enjoy her time is if she got close to him. Garry

was a little embarrassed at Ib's affectionate response. Before she had hugged him and even gave him a kiss on the cheek but this felt different

somehow. Garry was a perceptive man and he could tell that something was different. Looking down at Ib he could see an uneasy look on her face.

Garry whispered to her as the first trailer began. "Its okay, no need to be nervous." Ib was surprised that Garry noticed her uneasiness. Garry

wrapped his arm around Ib and the two held each other as the trailers began playing. This made Ib feel better and she tried to get relaxed and

watched some of the trailers. Garry was still a little weirded out by Ib's different demeanor but he just shrugged it off and the two of them became

engrossed in the film. The beginning of The Years Gone By showed its protagonist Philip endure a hard start to his childhood including a divorce and the

death of his older brother. After entering the fourth grade Philip meets Jane. Jane is a tomboyish and adventurous girl who alienates both the girls and

the boys in her class. Philip finds her really interesting and the two become friends. The film goes on to show many of their childhood hijinks and how

they become very close friends. It later moves on to their teenage years where Philip begins to become more well liked by people and Jane is still an

outcast. Philip's new friends tell him to abandon Jane and Philip tells them off saying that he won't turn his back on his closest friend. Though the film

was different in many ways Ib and Garry could both see some similarities in the characters in the film's relationship and theirs. Ib believed Philip's

refusal to abandon Jane was like how Garry never stopped being close with her despite what the rest of the world would think about a guy his age

spending time with a girl her age. Garry on the other hand was reminded of how Ib stuck by him despite the fact he was older and that girls her age

usually were interested in people their age. But that is where the similarities seemed to end. After Joseph turned against his new friends he began

growing closer to Jane and she began opening up to him. Her past was a sad one much like Joseph's and he also tells her about his bad childhood

before she came along. After they open up to each other the two began kissing passionately. Ib blushed hard as this happened. Clutching Garry's hand

and holding him still, it was certainly very awkward doing this while such a romantic scene was happening. Garry was really embarrassed too. This

would have been less awkward for him if there was other people in the theater but they were clearly alone. All of the feelings Garry had experience

over the years while being alone with Ib at his house could not compare to this. There was a voice inside of his head that regretted doing this but the

majority of him was actually really enjoying this. "Whats wrong with me?" Garry thought to himself nervously. Ib looked up at him seeing that he was

nervous and that only added to how she was feeling. But Ib knew that breaking away from Garry would just make things more awkward. Instead she

decided to move in closer and hold him tighter. Ib put her head against his chest and embraced him with her arms. Garry was already tense but this

really caught him off guard. Garry wanted to say something but he didn't want to hurt Ib's feelings and he was still enjoying it. The film had began

focusing on the young love between Philip and Jane which just added more to all of the awkward tension between them. Garry was trying to focus on

the film but so many thoughts were filling his head. "Ib is my friend, I can't be feeling this way... She is only fourteen, I am already taking a risk I can't

let myself go any further... If I let myself feel this way I will betray her trust..." Garry pushed himself to just focus on the film and nothing more. The

movie was getting interesting as the senior year of high school drew close and both Philip and Jane had separate dreams. Philip wanted to become a

science teacher and Jane wanted to become a musician. The two eventually had to go to separate colleges but still kept in touch. Hardships and

various other things happened but the two eventually reunited and got married. The rest of the film was dedicated to them raising a family and growing

older. Garry had been able to finally overcome his nervousness and really got into the film. Ib was not nervous in fact she was quite the opposite now.

Garry hadn't rejected her affection so she was able to enjoy being close to him while watching a really touching and well done film. By the film's end

Jane dies of cancer at an old age and an eighty year old Philip breaks down crying. Ib and Garry were both very emotionally moved. The film's end

showed Philip at her grave with their three children and as the last lines of dialogue were said Ib and Garry broke down crying. The credits rolled and

the lights came back in the theater. After the two stopped crying Ib let go of Garry and the two got up. Garry looked Ib in the eyes "How did you like

the movie?" Ib grabbed his hand as the two left the theater. "It was really good..." Garry nodded in agreement "Yeah that was quite the tearjerker."

Things were still a little awkward between Ib and Garry as they headed to his truck. When they got inside Garry turned to her. "Ready for ice cream?"

Ib gave a light nod with a smile "Yeah that sounds really good." Garry started the truck and the two headed off to the ice cream place. On the way Ib

brought up what happened in the theater. "Listen Garry, I am sorry if I was too clingy in the theater... I just..." Garry interrupted her. "It is fine...

D..don't worry about it. You have said before that you are never bothered when I am a little affectionate so it is certainly acceptable when you are..." Ib

knew Garry was hiding some of his feelings. "That was more than a little. I held on to you for almost the entire film. I just don't want you to feel

weird..." Garry was silent for almost a minute. "You are my best friend... I shouldn't feel weird when you show affection... It is fine, you should do what

you feel like doing." Garry's reaction had just confirmed what she had believed. Garry had clearly been affected by her. When the two of them reached

the ice cream place Ib decided to stop bugging Garry about it and just enjoy their time together. They walked inside of the ice cream place and got in

line. Ib admired the hundreds of flavors they had posted on the menu on the wall. From classics like vanilla to really weird ones like lime chocolate cake.

Garry pointed to the menu. "Pretty crazy flavors huh? This place is great, I have eaten here before and they certainly don't disappoint. Which flavor are

you interested in?" Ib skimmed the menu a few times before finding one that look the most interesting. "Cherry cheesecake sounds really good. I am a

big fan of both so they sound pretty delicious together." Garry eyed the menu himself and found one he liked. "Good choice Ib. I think I will go with

blackberry cookie swirl. It is a weird flavor but I am weird as well" Ib laughed at Garry's self depreciating comments. "Yeah you are a little weird but

that is what makes you so great." Garry blushed at Ib's sweet comment. He really appreciated it and never thought someone would use that in a

complimenting way. They finally were at the front of the line and picked out their ice cream. They got their servings and sat down at the table and

began eating it. Ib had a spoonful of her ice cream. Garry watched as Ib scooped a small bite of the cool treat. "How is it?" Garry asked. Ib smiled

"Really tasty! I love it!" Garry was happy and began to dig into his ice cream. As the two began eating their ice cream Garry tried starting a

conversation. "So I hope you enjoyed today..." Ib took another spoonful "I really enjoyed it! Thank you for everything." Ib was be honest and even

enjoyed the more awkward moments of their theater going experience. "Did you have a good time Garry?" Garry had felt a little awkward but he had

truly enjoyed going to the theater. The film was great and as much as he tried to rationalize it he had really loved getting so close with her. "Yeah I

did... The movie was really excellent." Ib and Garry continued eating the ice cream. Ib noticed Garry had been acting kind of different since they left the

theater. It bothered her but she knew he wasn't lying when he said he enjoyed himself. Still she had to wonder if getting close to him in the theater

had bothered him. Though it would be kind of embarrassing she planned to confront him about it when they got back to the apartment. Garry and Ib

ate the rest of their ice cream together and went back to the truck. Garry had enjoyed their night together but felt bad that he wasn't more talkative

after the theater. His mind was a bit jumbled with various thoughts and emotions after their time alone at the movies. For the first time in the three

years she visited he felt something other than platonic feelings for her and in a way it scared him. The trip back to his house was pretty silent with both

Ib and Garry deep in thought. When they got home Ib finally spoke up. "I know that you have been acting different since the movies. Listen Garry you

can be honest with me. Is anything wrong?" Garry had been cornered and there was no way out unless he lied. There was no way he was going to lie

to her so he decided to tell her the complete truth. "You caught me. I will be perfectly honest. When we were in the theater and you got so close to

me... I..." Garry began to blush and a very awkward expression crossed his face. Ib couldn't help but giggle, she found his expression adorable. Garry

got a little flustered "Why did you...?" Ib interrupted him to respond. "I'm sorry. That was just really cute..." Garry blushed even harder and Ib did as

well after her honest statement. After about a minute passed Ib finally spoke up. "I'm sorry for making you feel weird in the theater. I just got caught

up in the moment..." Garry shook his head "Don't be sorry. Its not that I was embarrassed by your affection. Quite the opposite, I enjoyed it a bit too

much. As your friend and senior I felt so wrong when my feelings went there." Ib was shocked to hear him say this. Having just come to terms with her

feelings for him it was very surprising that Garry even had a semblance of the same feelings. "Garry... You don't have to feel bad..." Garry quickly

responded "I do! Its just not right Ib! You are staying in my house, and if I even go there in my mind it could lead to me taking advantage of you! I

respect you as a friend and would never want to do something like that. Plus I am an adult and you are fourteen so it would be inappropriate..." Ib

started to tear up a bit. "But you wouldn't be taking advantage of me!" Garry froze. "Why is that?" Ib was put on the spot and having just accepted her

feelings this was difficult for her. "Because... because... I have feelings for you." Ib quickly ran down the hall. "I'm sorry!" she said as she ran into

Garry's room. Garry stood still, completely speechless.

Author's Note: As you can probably tell the next chapter will be a big one. Because of this I would really like some constructive feedback and critique. I

can't promise I will listen to everything but if I understand what you have to say I will probably have it in mind when writing the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7 - Warmth

Author's Note: Okay another chapter done. Sorry that this is so short but I wanted this to be a good chapter and I wasn't feeling up to going past the

point I ended on. Still some big stuff happens this chapter so I hope you enjoy it.

Ib and Garry: Afterstory

Chapter 7: Warmth

Ib laid perfectly still under the sheets of Garry's bed. She had cried for a while but by now her tears had subsided. As painful as telling Garry the truth

was she didn't regret it. Ib didn't want to hold it inside herself. This made her feel selfish but she just couldn't face Garry and hide her feelings. Since

she confessed Garry hadn't said a word to her. Ib had been alone in Garry's room just laying still and thinking. There was still a week to spend at

Garry's house and she couldn't even communicate with him at the moment. Ib wanted to know what to say but she just couldn't think of the right

words. Garry was feeling the same way, as he laid face first on the couch he tried to take everything in. Garry never could have imagined that Ib would

develop feelings for him. Ib was different than most girls her age but he knew it was just a matter of time before she became interested in the boys her

age. Instead though she fell for him... It was just so weird to Garry, every time he thought about it he felt uneasy. Ib had meant the world to him and

he loved her in a platonic way but romance wasn't something that came to mind when he thought about her. Not only did they have an age gap that

would make a relationship seriously dangerous but they had been close friends for a few years. Garry didn't know how long she had felt the way she

did but he felt bad for not picking up on it. When they had gotten so close in the theater and romantic thoughts filled his mind very briefly he did his

best to push them out of his mind. That had been the one moment he had felt like Ib did. But Garry had viewed it as a moment of weakness. Garry was

the adult and had to be responsible. If Garry was to even come close to going along with Ib's feelings he felt he would be like the older men who take

advantage of teenage girls. These were the kind of men that he was afraid that people would see him as if they knew that Ib was visiting his house. As

much as he believed this he could not bring himself to reject Ib's feelings. Garry knew that would crush her and he cared about her too much to do that.

There seemed to be no good answer to what he could do and that made it so hard to confront Ib. Thinking it over though he felt it might be the only

way to get a proper answer as to what he could do. Maybe if he just talked it over with her he could just understand her feelings and they could figure

out what to do about them together. As nervous as it made him discussing this he decided it was time to do so. Back in Garry's bedroom Ib was getting

kind of drowsy. The blankets were very comfortable and Ib had overexerted herself emotionally after she had confessed to Garry. As much as she had

tried to think more about it she just couldn't. Her entire mind was a mess of angst and confusion. Ib was just letting the warmth and comfort of Garry's

blankets soothe her. Right before she slipped into sleep she heard a knock at her door. Ib was startled by it but she knew it had to be Garry. "Come

in..." Garry slowly opened the door and walked inside. Sitting at the foot of the bed Garry looked over at Ib. "I am so sorry... I didn't know Ib... There is

nothing to be sorry about on your end... I wish there was something I could do..." Ib sat up on the bed. "Garry... I am sorry it was so sudden but it just

came out... I understand that we can't... I know you probably wouldn't want me in the first place anyway but it just hurts more knowing there isn't

even a chance..." Ib teared up. Garry put his hand on her face and looked her in the eyes. "Don't say that... You are an intelligent, mature, and

beautiful girl. Anyone would..." Ib interrupted him "I know what you are trying to do... I know your words are sincere but it doesn't matter in the end.

Because of my age and because of my role as a pseudo little sister to you it seems like you could never take me seriously as a possible girlfriend." Ib's

harsh words surprised Garry and hurt him as well. In the over three years they spent together this was the first time she had said something so harsh.

Garry knew she was hurting but it did not change the fact her words had some truth to them. It wasn't just something she said because she was sad,

this was truly how he made Ib feel. Garry felt bad but knew it couldn't be helped. "Listen Ib... I think you would be a great girlfriend. You are my closest

friend and I care about you an awful lot. Like I have mentioned before you are the highlight of my life and spending time with you is very important to

me. I don't look down on you and I certainly don't see you as some sort of pseudo little sister. I understand that misunderstandings can happen but

please just listen... Our age difference is a very real thing. I am already taking a risk by letting you stay with me for a week. I really want to spend time

with you Ib but if we get together there is a big risk of us being separated. I know you would rather us remain friends like we have all of these years

and be together than get into a relationship and risk losing that." Ib's eyes were still teary but she wasn't crying. "Sorry Garry... I know I am being

selfish but I can't help it... I just wish we could be more..." Garry put his arm around her. "I wish I could accept your confession and be with you as well.

I want you to be happy but we can't afford to risk anything." Ib looked up at Garry. "You are being reasonable. Could you answer one question for me

though? Please be honest..." Garry gave a confirming nod. "I can certainly do that much for you." Ib gave him an innocent stare. "If you could accept my

feelings would you do it just to make me happy or would you share any of those feelings as well?" Garry swallowed hard. His thoughts went back to

the theater and how he had felt then. Looking down at Ib he started to feel those feelings once again. Her sweet face had caught him off guard and he

was captured by her stare. "I..." Garry wanted to give an honest answer but was afraid of making things even more awkward for them. For a few

minutes he just looked at her trying to spit the truth out. Before he could say anything though Ib caught him off guard. Moving her face towards his

before he could react her lips met his. Garry was absolutely stunned by Ib's daring act. Her lips were soft and warm against his and he couldn't refuse

them. Garry's face stayed perfectly still as Ib kept her lips locked to his. Garry didn't want to moves his lips away since he knew how much it would hurt

her and how it could make things far more awkward. Kissing her back would go against everything Garry had said just minutes ago and make things

complicated as well. All Garry could do was wait. Ib knew Garry was holding back and she didn't want to force herself on him for too long. Ib separated

herself from Garry. "I am so sorry..." Ib wasn't exactly proud of herself. As soon as she said that and Garry looked at her ashamed face, something

changed inside of him. Garry became furious that Ib had to feel ashamed of something so innocent. Garry was also angry about how he couldn't even

return the poor girl's feelings. The part of him that he had tried to hold back was tired of sitting there and watching Ib's disappointed face. Garry spoke

up to Ib. "You don't have to be sorry! You don't have to feel any sort of shame!" Garry's sudden anger and change in tone was a complete surprise to

Ib. "Garry?" Garry's mind was a mess and he knew he might regret his next action but he was tired of having to hold back. Garry moved his face

towards Ib's and pressed his lips against her's. Ib couldn't believe what was happening. Garry's lips were passionately locked with her's. Ib kissed him

back and put everything into enjoying the moment. After a little while Garry let go. "I am tired of seeing you apologize. I am tired of us worrying about

getting in trouble or what the world thinks. I know this is sudden Ib but I am the one who is sorry!" Ib's eyes were still teary but now she had an

expression of relief on her face. The tears turned to tears of joy and she embraced Garry. "Thank you... Thank you so much..." Garry loved feeling her

warmth against his body. "I am really sorry that I have been so fearful and have denied your feelings. We are already taking a risk and holding back

will only achieve nothing and hurt you." Garry remembered back when he loved Rose and the hurt he had felt. This girl was different and he was certain

of it. "Ib I know we are different in age. For the longest time I let that distract me from thinking of you in a romantic way. But you are so mature and

you have always stayed loyal to me. Although I have always tried to play the level headed adult I am sick of letting that interfere with us. You are

certainly mature enough now and I have just been playing the role out of fear. Now that I really look at you and all we have experienced together I

finally know that I want to be with you. So Ib, please don't cry anymore..." Ib wiped her eyes and smiled. "Thank you so much Garry... So does this

mean can start dating?" Garry nodded "Yeah. It won't be much different from before though. The one difference will be that we will do romantic couple

stuff I guess..." Ib blushed "Like kissing, cuddling, and uh... well you know..." Garry blushed and shook his head. "Uh... no... we don't need to do that.

We'll do that when you are ready, even if it takes a few years. There is no need to feel any sort of pressure..." Ib nodded slowly with a blush still

across her face. "Okay..." Garry was surprised she would go there but he understood how Ib might be nervous about that sort of thing. "You don't

have to worry about me going outside of your boundaries. If there is something you don't want me to do I won't do it. We are a team, that is what all

good couples are." Ib liked that thought. "That sounds really good. But Garry if you want to kiss me or do anything to surprise me it is okay. I don't

want you to feel nervous about being affectionate to me if I am your girlfriend." Garry kissed Ib on the top of her head. "Thanks! Obviously the same

applies to you Ib." Garry was surprised at how well this was going. His fear had been nothing more than unfounded paranoia, getting romantically

involved with Ib wouldn't be too risky. Ib was a smart girl so avoiding it in public would not be an issue. Garry wanted to do what he could for her and

romance seemed like a way to do that with more freedom. Finally he wanted to be with her and those feelings from the theater came over him just by

looking at her. Ib was still relieved that Garry had a change of heart. The guilt she had felt was gone and now she was just happy to have Garry's

approval. Ib leaned over to Garry and kissed him passionately. Garry loved her warm, soft, lips and took in everything whenever they met his. After Ib

let go Garry gave her a smile. "You are a pretty good kisser Ib. Was the kiss you gave me earlier your first?" Ib nodded "Yeah... Was that one any

good?" Garry chuckled at Ib's modest question. "It was really good. You are a very tender kisser. You have quite the talent young lady." Ib giggled at

Garry's way of wording things. "Thank you very much! If you don't mind me asking, when was your first kiss Garry?" Garry got slightly nervous. "I would

rather not bring it up. Right now is a really happy moment and I wouldn't want to drag it down with something tied to bad memories." Ib put her hand

on top of Garry's. "Its okay, I am not a little kid anymore. You can share it with me. I wouldn't let something like that ruin such a good moment for me."

Garry sighed "Well okay then I will tell you. I am sure you remember the girl I told you about a few years back named Rose." Ib nodded in confirmation

and Garry continued. "Well even though I never got romantically involved with her there was a time when I visited my house where she acted pretty

strange. We were hanging out in her room and talking when suddenly she asked me if I had ever been kissed. I said no and she asked me if I wanted

to be kissed. I froze up and wasn't able to say anything and before I knew it she gave me a kiss. It was terrible thinking back to it, there was no

tenderness in it like your kisses. It felt cold, like she was kissing me out of pity not out of love. I remember leaving her house that day really confused.

Looking back I realize that she was probably just toying with my emotions. I think that she was a damaged person and the only way of interacting with

people emotionally to her was toying with them. I don't hate her for what she ended up doing any more, I just pity her." Ib really understood Garry's

words. "Wow that is sad. I am glad that you got over her. Rose seemed like she had a lot of issues. Don't worry about me getting jealous of her

stealing your first kiss or anything like that ." Garry was glad to hear that. "Good because that kiss means nothing to me. It may have been my first kiss

but it was completely soulless. The kiss you gave me may not have been my first but it was the first kiss from someone I know loves me. It felt real and

I knew all of your passion was put into it." Ib felt honored by his words. "I am really glad it means that much to you. I hope I can make you happy as

your girlfriend. You are my first boyfriend so I have no real experience but I will do my best." Garry gave Ib a kiss on her cheek. "You don't need to think

that way. Just be yourself and keep doing what you have been all of these years and you will be beyond the girlfriend that I deserve. If you are giving

it your all though then so will I." Ib and Garry had affirmed their feelings for each other and they both felt obligated to do what they could to make each

other happy. Both of them hadn't ever been in a real relationship though Garry did have an advantage in terms of life experience. The truth was that it

didn't matter much since their relationship and situation wasn't exactly ordinary. It had taken a lot but they had finally reached the end of a very long

day that had its moments of stress but that ultimately changed everything for what they hoped would be for the best.

Author's Note: That is all for now. I have some big plans for next month's chapter though I can't promise that it will be released as quickly as the last

two. I only write this when I feel up to it, otherwise it won't be any good. Summer is ending and the summer arc is far from over but it can't be helped

when I feel up to or I have time to write this. Still I hope this chapter was enjoyable and feedback is always helpful and welcome.


	8. Chapter 8 - Desire

_Author's Note: I took everyone's input into mind to make this chapter. I am happy with the final product, I think it is better than what I originally had_

_planned. Your input is greatly appreciated and I think that everyone had valid points. A few things in this chapter might be a bit controversial but I will_

_talk about them at the end._

* * *

><p>Ib and Garry: Afterstory<p>

Chapter 8: Desire

The rain poured hard as Ib laid in bed. It had been a wonderful day for her and it was tough to get to sleep. The excitement that she felt had been

immense, it was like a child the night before Christmas. Ib felt like it was the happiest day of her life. In her head she kept replaying the day's events

over and over again. Garry was having trouble sleeping as well. Garry had never had a girl love him like Ib, it made him feel great. Though it was the

less responsible and more risky choice it was the choice he wanted. Over the years he experienced something with her that he hadn't with anyone

else. After thinking it over more, he knew for a fact that he was in love with her. Age didn't matter much to him anymore. Garry admitted to himself that

he had a lust for younger girls buried deep inside of him, but choosing to accept Ib's feelings had nothing to do with that. They had truly become friends

and gradually fell in love. Garry never had any intention of taking advantage of her, and it hadn't been until this day that he came to term with his

feelings. Still he couldn't get over what happened and couldn't fall asleep. Having to use the bathroom he got off of the couch. Ib heard him get up and

was happy that Garry was still awake as well. Deciding to approach him, she got up out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. Ib waited outside

the bathroom and shortly after she heard a flush, Garry opened the door. "Wahh!" Garry shouted, surprised by Ib's sudden appearance. "Sorry Garry."

Ib said apologetically. Garry laughed. "Its okay Ib, you just caught me off guard. What are you doing up so late?" He asked. "I couldn't sleep. I just

can't get today's events out of my head. Its like I am in a dream, and if I go to bed I might wake up and lose everything." Ib explained. Garry stroked

her hair and gave her a smile. "This is all real. I know its hard to believe but I know now that I love you. I want every day with you to feel like today.

You don't have to worry anymore." His words comforted her. Ib gripped his arm and held him close. "Can we sleep together in your bed tonight?" Ib

asked innocently. Garry was extremely flustered by what she said. While it was clear she was talking about laying together and not sex, Garry couldn't

help but become embarrassed. "Sure Ib, we can do that. You know that you don't have to worry about me doing anything weird to you, right?" Ib

nodded in response to his question. "Of course, I know that. I trust you more than anyone else, I know you would never do anything without my

consent. Its not like I would have any problems with it if you wanted to do more though..." Garry got a bit uncomfortable after Ib said that. "I

understand... We just got together though, so we should wait a bit before doing anything more than kissing. Just having you by my side is good

enough for me after all!" Garry exclaimed a bit nervously. "I know Garry, you don't need to get nervous. I am sure we will make love when the time is

right. I just want to lay with you in bed so that we don't have to be apart anymore. We are a couple so we shouldn't be sleeping in separate beds. I

know I will sleep better if you are with me." Ib told him. Garry gave her a pat on the head and a smiled. "Okay then, let's go to bed together." The two

of them headed into Garry's room and sat on the bed. Garry gave her a kiss on the top of her head and looked her in the eyes. "You ready?" Ib moved

over towards the blanket and pulled it up. "Yeah let's get underneath." Garry crawled over to her and the two embraced underneath the blankets. Ib

could feel his body and all of its warmth against hers. Garry just listened to her take gentle breaths, letting each one sooth him. "Are you comfortable?"

Garry asked her. "Yes I feel perfect." Ib said in a relaxed tone. Garry kissed her on top of the head again and took in the scent of her hair. Ib hadn't

shampooed it since the morning and it smelled natural. Garry had gotten used to her scent over the years. This was the first time he smelled it up

close. Ib enjoyed his affection, she hadn't experienced anything like it before. Garry continued to hold her close and plant an occasional kiss on her.

Before Ib knew it she was swallowed up by his affection and drifted off to sleep. Garry eventually became aware of this and gave her one last kiss

before falling asleep himself.

The next day Ib awoke to find Garry out of bed. After getting up herself she located him in the kitchen cooking breakfast. "Good morning." Garry said

with a wave. Ib sat down at the table. "I really enjoyed last night. I think yesterday was the happiest I have ever been." Her kind words made Garry

very happy. It made him feel good that he was so special to her. "Well we don't have to worry about anything anymore. Let's just live our lives one day

at a time and enjoy each other. I know that almost everyone would disapprove of our relationship but I am done being afraid. I love you Ib, and I want

to do everything I can to be what you need me to be." Garry told her, plopping a plate with an egg on it in front of her and kissing her on the cheek. "I

appreciate it Garry! So are we going to do more things today?" Ib asked. "Well we could go to the beach today. The weather is looking really nice and it

was part of the plans for this week." Garry suggested. "That sounds really good! It is pretty warm today and we have never gone to the beach

together before." Ib cheerfully responded. After finishing breakfast Ib and Garry got the things they needed together and headed out to his truck. "Got

any sunscreen?" Garry asked her as they got into his truck. "Yup, I came really prepared." Ib said, holding up a bag. "I have some sunscreen, my

swimsuit, and a hat if it gets too sunny." Ib explained. "That is good. I brought my own sunscreen as well and my trunks. I also brought some towels

that I bought recently." Garry said, pointing to a bag he had thrown in the back seat. After this they got on the road. The sun was bright and a nice

breeze blew through the air. Garry rolled the windows down and the two of them enjoyed the nice, fresh air, on their faces. "So do you want to talk

about anything?" Garry asked Ib. "Well..." Ib began. Leaning over, she grabbed Garry's side and kissed him on the cheek. "Could you tell me something

embarrassing from your past? If you do, I will as well." Ib's confident question certainly surprised Garry. It was as if accepting her feelings had

expanded her comfort zone. "Okay then Ib, I guess I will give it a shot." Garry told her. Thinking hard about his past, he was able to remember a few

things. "Well, when I was in grade school I was a huge crybaby. I would get upset over almost everything and it turned people off from becoming

friends with me. It wasn't until middle school when I learned to hone my emotions." Ib enjoyed hearing about Garry's childhood. "Aww, poor little guy.

You just sounded like you just needed a hug. I certainly wouldn't expect you to be like that as a kid, you are so cool and laid back now." Ib proclaimed.

"Well, we all change over the course of our childhood to adolescence. I remember you being a quiet and somewhat shy child. Now you are asking me

about embarrassing facts from my past. Not to mention you had the courage to confess your feelings for me." Garry said, while ruffling Ib's hair. "Yeah

you are right Garry. I guess I will say something embarrassing now. When I was younger I very hard to please. I would get bored so easily, and my

parents had a hard time making me satisfied. I guess some people would have called me a brat but I was just naturally tough to please. After the

gallery incident though, I learned to appreciate life more. I also met you, someone I found extremely interesting." Ib told Garry, with a smile. "Wow I

didn't know that Ib... I never would have guessed. I am glad that you like things more now though. I find it funny that you found me interesting..."

Garry said. Ib planted another kiss on his cheek. Her sweet breath touching the side of his face. "Don't be silly. You are a quite unique person and I

only found you more and more interesting the more that I got to know you." Ib was sounding surprisingly flirtatious. Garry felt a warmth overcome him

as she said this to him. "God I don't deserve you!" Garry told her. Ib blushed at his statement. "You don't need to say that..." Ib's modesty only made

Garry more infatuated with her. "I was such an idiot! I will never let go of this precious girl's feelings again!" Garry thought to himself. Trying to keep his

eyes on the road, Garry leaned over and kissed Ib's lips. "It's weird, I haven't been affectionate with anyone my entire life before this point. Now that I

have you though I can't get enough of it" He said tenderly. "Same here. I am glad that you feel this way. Just a few days ago I would have never

imagined you saying anything like this." Ib confessed. "A love epiphany, I've heard the term a few times in the past. I guess that is what I experienced

yesterday. I have known you for over three years after all, it just took the proper push on your part for me to realize my feelings. Don't worry about me

ever changing my mind. This has made me too happy, I can't turn back now that I have experienced all of this." Garry let her know. "I don't doubt what

you said Garry. I just hope that no one finds out about us somehow." Ib admitted. "I know, its a real pain. When we are at the beach we will have to

try and act like friends and not a couple. In fact, if anyone asks you are my little sister or something like that..." Garry stated. "Okay Garry, I

understand. It might be difficult but I will try and tough it out. I can't wait until I am eighteen and we will be able to be open with our relationship." Ib

said sadly. "Yeah, it will be a grueling four years but I know that we can make it." Garry responded. The trip came to a close when the truck finally

pulled up to the nearby beach. The name of the beach was West Shore, and it looked to have a fairly small amount of visitors. When Ib and Garry

stepped out of the truck they took in the beautiful weather. The breeze was still perfect and the heat was warm enough for swimming without being

humid. Walking towards the beach and paying the toll to enter, Ib and Garry walked inside and saw the changing stalls. "I'll go and change into my

swimsuit. How about we meet up here when we are done?" Ib asked, her bag swaying back and forth in her hand. "Sounds good Ib, I will go get my

trunks on now!" Garry said and jogged off towards the men's changing area. Ib walked into the woman's changing area and entered a stall. Making

sure the curtain behind her was down, Ib began to undress. Pulling her skirt down and unbuttoning her shirt, Ib stripped down into her panties. Before

she removed her bra, she heard something beside her. "You know, I was here first!" A girl in a red dress was standing beside her in the stall. Ib hadn't

remembered there being anyone inside the stall before hand. "I'm sorry but I didn't see anyone in here before. If you were in here and I missed you I

am really sorry. At least you are fully clothed though." Ib said, feeling embarrassed standing in front of a starnger while in her undergarments. The girl

giggled in a sort of creepy way. "Its okay, I am sure it won't be too big of a deal if we change together." The girl said, a disturbing grin plastered across

her face. Ib felt very uncomfortable but couldn't bring herself to rebuke the strange girl's idea. For some reason she had a very intimating presence that

Ib couldn't exactly explain. Before she could say anything period though, the weird girl began to remove her dress. Ib just looked away and tried

ignoring her. Her hands shook as she attempted removing her bra, the other girl still changing in the background. Ib finally brought herself to remove

her it and quickly reached for her bikini top. Before she could grab it the strange girl let out a laugh. "Wow, they are pretty small. What are you ten or

something?" The odd girl's words had pissed Ib off. Finally mustering up the courage to stand up for herself, Ib clenched her fist, closed her eyes, and

faced the girl. "Just shut up you annoying bitch! I know I walked in on you, but that gives you no excuse to belittle me!" Ib shouted in the pest's

direction. When she opened her eyes she saw that the antagonistic girl was gone. There was no sign of the dress she had removed and the curtain

hadn't been moved in the slightest. "What the hell?" Ib thought to herself. Quickly putting her bikini top on and also changing into her bottom, Ib

peaked outside of the changing room. The girl was nowhere in sight, and the changing room was silent. Ib wondered if the girl had been scared off by

her harsh words and just decided to forget about it. Now in her swimsuit, Ib put her clothes in the bag and headed out to meet Garry. When she

reached the meeting place, she got quite the surprise. Garry was standing there and wearing a pair of black swim trunks. Ib finally got to see his bare

chest and she couldn't help but swoon. Ib had always found Garry very handsome and his upper body always teased her. Now that she saw it first

hand and she wasn't disappointed. Garry had a skinny but slightly muscular build. His chest and stomach were nicely shaped and his body was devoid

of hair or blemishes. It was like something out of a fashion magazine. Ib blushed as she approached her love, trying not to seem awkward. "Umm...

Hey Garry..." Ib lightly said. Garry looked in her direction and was surprised. Ib wore a red and white striped bikini, something Garry had not expected.

Knowing how modest Ib was, he had expected her to wear something more conservative. For the first time ever Garry saw more of her porcelain like

skin. Since Ib was always so neatly dressed, he had never seen more skin than the legs below her skirt. Garry felt like a pervert but he couldn't help

but notice every aspect of her bare skin. Ib's body was so petite and delicate. Her bare shoulders, cute and perfect belly, and thin and beautiful legs,

made his entire body become warm with desire. "I am such a creep." Garry thought to himself. "Are you okay Garry?" Ib asked. Garry hadn't realized

that he had just been staring in her direction. "Oh its nothing..." Garry said nervously. "Before we go out onto the beach we should put on our

sunscreen. Could you help me apply it?" Ib requested. Nodding at her request, Garry grabbed the lotion bottle from her and began rubbing the

sunscreen across Ib's almost completely bare back. Her skin was smooth against Garry's hands and he couldn't help but enjoy doing this. It felt wrong

to him but she personally asked for him to apply it so he did not want to let her down despite his desires. After he finished her back he applied it to her

arms which were just as smooth and beautiful. Finally he did her face, and as he did he looked into her beautiful red eyes. Garry had never noticed

what a truly lovely face she had until now, though he tried not to stare too much since Ib seemed nervous. After he finished Ib spoke up. "Um... I can

take care of my belly and legs now Garry. Thank you for your help." Garry knew those areas were a lot more private and stopped right away. Ib had

enjoyed feeling Garry's firm hands against her body. The reason she asked him in the first place was for this, though she didn't want to tell him. Still

she didn't want him to touch her belly or legs since it might look weird and draw unwanted attention to them. Garry applied sunscreen to his own body

and him and Ib finished applying it around the same time. After this they headed out to the beach. The water looked clear and beautiful and light

waves crashed soothingly against the shore. "Come on let's swim!" Ib said in a cheery tone. Grabbing Garry's hand, she pulled him towards the ocean

and the two of them entered the water together. It was cold against Ib's skin, causing her to cling to Garry. The sudden feeling of Ib's belly against his

skin caused Garry to become nervous. It felt so good to him, but he knew that if anyone was watching them they would get the wrong idea. Still, it was

a nice little moment. Garry closed his eyes and let himself enjoy her warmth. There was something sensitive about the body that hands couldn't truly

feel. A thought briefly entered Garry's mind of the two of them laying naked in bed, holding each other close. Once again Garry had to dismiss his desire

and try to appreciate the innocent beauty of Ib's presence. "You are really warm." Ib told Garry. Her face looked so relaxed and at ease. Garry felt a

certain kind of pride in seeing her look like that. It almost felt parental, though Garry knew he was clearly romantically interested her. "You look like a

kitten right now." Garry joked with her. Ib purred sarcasticly in response. Garry chuckled and put his fingers through her hair. Ib was loving his

affection. Not wanting to say anything, she just enjoyed getting close with him. Garry looked around at the other people on the beach. They seemed to

be caught up in their own activities, no one seemed to notice his and Ib's embrace. It was certainly lucky, Garry wanted to be able to enjoy this as long

as he could. With everyone's attention diverted Garry went further and leaned his face into the top of her head. Planting a kiss, he could feel Ib heat up

when he did this. After this, the two of them just enjoyed each other for an almost an hour. They didn't say much but they just took in the perfect

weather and the closeness of their bodies. Once the sky got a little darker and it was cooler outside, Ib and Garry decided to swim together. "Wanna

race!" Ib told him playfully. Garry agreed to it and the two of them began to swim as far out as they possibly could. Ib was surprisingly fast and she

actually won the race. After another hour of playing around at the beach it began to get pretty cold. "A perfect day doesn't last long." Garry said as the

two of them exited the water. After drying off, the two of them decided to go change back into their clothes. When Ib returned to the changing room

she was cautious. That strange girl had left a bad impression on her and she wanted to avoid any sort of confrontation with her. Luckily for Ib, the girl

was nowhere in sight and she peacefully changed back into her clothes. When she met Garry outside, the two of them headed back to his truck. "How

did you enjoy today?" Garry asked her as they drove out of West Shore. "It was wonderful! I am sorry if was a bit too clingy in public though..." Ib said

apologetically. "Its fine, It didn't look like anything too romantic. I could see something similar happening between a brother and sister. Just because

we are trying to avoid giving away our relationship does not mean that we can't be at least somewhat affectionate in public." Garry told her. Ib was

glad that was the case. The day had indeed been perfect in almost every way. The only bad part was her run in with that creepy girl. Ib wanted to

bring it up to Garry, but decided against it. The day had been full of joy and she didn't want to kill the mood. Still something definitely bothered her

about the girl. "Is anything wrong?" Garry asked, noticing something off about Ib. "Its no big deal, just thinking about something that isn't too

important." She responded, being as honest as she could about her situation. Ib just wanted to forget about it, but something was really bothering her

about the encounter. It wasn't exactly clear in her mind why, but it made her slightly at uneasy. Though this scared her in a way, Ib just leaned over

onto Garry's shoulder. Even if the concerns at the back of her mind were founded, she knew she was safe when they were together.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: So yeah no lemon just yet. People seemed to want to wait a bit and develop things further. It probably won't be for a few more<em>

_chapters but I won't hold off on it for too long. I am sorry if this chapter felt a bit "fanservicey" but I wanted to be realistic about the character's_

_desires. I don't want to go overboard but their attraction to each other has to be addressed. Your input and critiques are always welcome, and I will_

_hopefully be able to get a new chapter out at least every month._


	9. Chapter 9 - Going Steady

Author's Note: This is going to be a short chapter with a major update on the story. Please read the announcement at the end for future info.

Ib and Garry: Afterstory

Chapter 9: Going Steady

Summer went by far too quickly for Garry and Ib. The rest of the week they spent together was a happy one, although they mainly stayed at home for the most part. They did go to the theater three more times. Each time they went they tried to sneak in some affection when the lights were dim. Ib and Garry also slept in his bed together every night. Despite this, nothing sexual happened and they mainly cuddled and enjoyed each others presence. By the end of the week, neither of them wanted it to end. Ib got a cellphone call from her parents on Friday telling her that they would be back by Saturday afternoon. This was depressing for both of them and they tried to spend every waking moment of their Friday together. Cuddled up on his couch, Ib took in his warmth as they relaxed together. "I am going to miss you." Ib said solemnly. "Same here Ib, but don't worry. We are still going to be together on weekends and you can even come earlier if you want to. We are a couple after all so we should try and make each weekend special. We can go on dates all over town or even do things at home. I'm sure that we can work things out to spend as much time together. As possible. Does that sound good to you?" Garry asked her. "Yeah it does. I guess I shouldn't complain, since everything I could have wished for happened this weekend." Ib kissed Garry after she said this. Getting up on his lap, she wrapped her arms around his body and held him firmly. "I don't deserve this Ib. I am so grateful for your affection." Garry said, rubbing his face against hers and gave her a smile. Looking Ib in the eyes he felt both affection, love, and a bit of lust. Thoughts crossed his mind that told him to make love to her and end their week together with a bang. It had only been a few days since they had gotten together though and Garry didn't want to take advantage of her. It was when she was ready that that mattered, not his own wishes. It would be borderline rape to take advantage of a girl her age in his mind. Ib herself understood everything that was necessary relating to their relationship and didn't mind certain limitations. Both of them had prepared for the new direction their life was headed in. Whatever sort of adversity they would face was nothing compared to the range of emotions that they felt toward each other. Sharing the last hours of the day doing not much other than being close, the best week of their lives came to a close.

Major I&G: Afterstory News

This story has always been going at a slow pace. The reasons for this are varied but I will state them here. The first reason is that I am working on a much bigger project at the moment that is very time consuming. This project effects my personal life and my future plans so I have to take it very seriously. The second reason is that I have been going through some major writers block. I have the main plans down for the story and how it will end but its difficult executing it in a way I see fit. There is also the long awaited lemon that I do not want to screw up at all. Even the current release schedule of once a month is difficult for me to accomplish. So this is why I need to tell you that this fanfiction will go on hiatus for a bit. I want the quality to be good and I want to write the last bunch of chapters when I feel inspired. This period does not have a set amount of time but I can promise one major thing. When this series returns I will be releasing the last batch of chapters on a weekly basis. I will write the conclusion in one big sitting when I am really feeling inspired. So in a sense everything I have said is both bad and good news. There is even more to say though. I want your feedback because this story would be nowhere without my followers. Comments are always welcome but I am also opening a survey for fans to participate in! Just follow the link below and answer honestly. I will take every bit of feedback into account when the time comes to finish the story. Until then, I hope you enjoy what I have written so far and stick by me until the end!

forms/d/1q87JYRTTnSA_wjH2dojSveqodBA-h9GdWzJ5384vEiQ/viewform?usp=send_form


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